Home
by WilliamsJ13
Summary: There was one person missing when Reid walked out of the elevator after being released from prison but she was already waiting for him and she had news. Blake/Reid story.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't know why I suddenly decided I wanted to write a Reid/Blake story but I did. I felt like there was such an opportunity missed for Blake to be involved in Reid being arrested and then released. So here is Reid and Blake story…**

 _"_ _Don't leave me, ever again."_

"Never mom, never again," Spencer whispered, his arms tightening around his mother before he closed his eyes and sighed. His mom was safe. She hadn't been hurt and he was free. He was finally free. He could walk in and out of a room whenever he felt like it, he could talk to whoever he wanted and he could feel safe. He didn't have to keep checking over his shoulder to see who was watching him, who was the biggest threat. "I'm never leaving again," Spencer said quietly, desperately trying to stop himself from crying in the middle of the bureau corridor.

"Can we go home?" Diana asked, loosening her hold of her son before stepping back, a sad smile decorating her face when Reid nodded. Glancing behind his mother to see only Penelope watching them in silence, Reid smiled before walking towards his friend and wrapping his arms around her again, a small laugh leaving his lips when Penelope's arms tightened around his body to squeeze him.

"Thank you," Spencer said to her quietly.

"There's someone else waiting to see you before you leave," Penelope whispered in his ear, surprising him. Who else was there? He'd seen everyone on the team, he had been reunited with his mother. He couldn't think of anyone else who would be waiting for him. No one else knew that he had been in jail. He had asked them not to disturb Morgan with what had happened.

"Hello Spencer," a voice suddenly called out. It couldn't be. He couldn't believe it. Feeling Garcia move away from him, Spencer breathed out before smiling weakly and looking at his mom.

"Mom, I'd love a coffee before we go home. Could you go with Garcia and get me one? Make sure she doesn't put too many sugars in it?" Reid asked quietly, his mother nodding slowly before Penelope smiled and led the older woman away to get a coffee. Turning to face the waiting brunette, Spencer felt a nervous smile decorate his face when he took in the sight of Alex standing ahead of him, her hands buried in her jeans pocket to hide how nervous she was.

"Spencer," Alex repeated as they continued to stare at each other across the corridor. How was she here? She was supposed to be in Boston. They had talked to each other weekly after she had left but he had made it very clear to Garcia that he hadn't wanted anyone, other than the current team, to know that he had been arrested for murder. He knew that Blake would have wanted to come back and help and he hadn't wanted to drag her back into this world, a world she had left after seeing him injured.

"Alex," Spencer whispered, suddenly unable to stop himself from moving towards her while she dropped the bag that had been on her shoulder onto the floor. "Alex," he repeated to himself, laughing lightly when her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and he lifted her briefly, his arms moving around her waist while she giggled lightly. "You're actually here," Spencer said to her, her feet finally touching the ground before she looked up to him, her arms moving from around his neck so she could brush her fingers across his cheek.

"You need to shave," Alex whispered, her fingers brushing through his hair briefly before she shook her head.

"I haven't had the chance yet," Spencer smiled, his forehead resting against hers before they closed their eyes. "What are you doing here Alex? Why aren't you in Boston?" he asked quietly, his arms remaining around her while his hands rested gently on the small of her back.

"I've been trying to call you and you weren't answering your phone. I thought maybe you didn't want to speak to me but it felt wrong," she admitted quietly, remaining perfectly still in his arms. "You've never ignored my calls and its been such a long time since we've talked so I called Garcia, and she told me everything. She told me that you'd just been released from jail so I came straight away. I had to see you," Alex blurted out suddenly, her nerves obvious. "Why didn't you tell me you'd been arrested Reid? I would have come straight away to help, I could have done something to help," she said, her frustration obvious when she shook her head. When she had found out that Reid had spent weeks in prison and she had done nothing to help, she had thrown her stuff straight into her bag and driven to the Bureau, where she had spent the last few hours waiting for him to come back.

"That's exactly why Alex," he whispered, his eyes opening before he gently pressed a kiss into her hair. "I wasn't going to give Scratch another target," he said quietly, her eyes blinking open before she rested her hand against his cheek, a sad smile decorating her face as she stared at him. He hadn't told her because he had wanted to protect her. He was always protecting her. This wonderful, kind man hadn't told her because he was trying to save her, just like when he'd taken a bullet meant for her. "And I didn't want you to see me like that Alex, I know how hard you found it when I was shot and I couldn't do that to you," he admitted quietly before moving his hand from her back to rest against her hand. "You're not wearing your ring," Reid commented, her head nodding while his eyebrows rose.

"That was why I was trying to call you but we can discuss it another time Spencer, you need to go home. Your mom will want to spend time with you alone and you need to rest," she said quietly, confusion covering her face when she took in the expression that was covering his face. She'd never seen that look. He looked lost and confused, but differently to when he was uncertain. "What's…" she began, falling silent when he gently brushed his lips against hers. "Spencer," she whispered breathlessly against his lips when they separated moments later. Where had that kiss come from?

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't…," Reid began, her head shaking before she leant up and kissed him again, his arms tightening around her body as they deepened the kiss. Moving away slowly, Alex smiled at the younger agent while Reid laughed gently. "Did we? Are we? Wow," Spencer mumbled nervously, the amazement obvious in his voice. Alex couldn't resist wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close to her again. She had sat waiting for him to come back for hours. She had thought about everything that could have gone wrong, how Spencer might have been changed by what had happened and yet this man was the same nervous, wonderful man that she was so close to. "We need to talk about this," Spencer whispered.

"I know but not now," Alex responded. She had just kissed someone who had once been her colleague, someone who was a close friend, someone who she deeply admired and cared about. Someone who was much younger than her. "You need to go home, spend some time with your mom, get some sleep," she whispered, moving away from him but stopping when his hand moved to take hold of hers. "Spencer," she smiled gently, his fingers lacing with hers as they stood in the corridor together. "Get some sleep, call me tomorrow," she smiled as Reid nodded and lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles as she shook her head.

"I will, I'll call," Reid promised before letting go of her hand and watching when she lifted her bag and rested it on her shoulder. "I better go and find my mom, she'll want to get home," he whispered, the brunette nodding as they began to walk towards the elevator together. "Drive safely," Reid smiled.

"Try not to get in trouble again before I see you," Alex responded, the doctor shaking his head before he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her again, the elevator doors suddenly opening. "I think that's my cue to leave," Alex responded, stepping out of his arms before she entered the elevator. "Go home Spence," the brunette stated before the elevator doors closed, the doctor smiling to himself as he turned to face the doors to his the BAU.

He was home.

 **So what do you think? Please leave a review, let me know whether you love it or hate it and whether you would like more?**

 **Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow- thank you so much for all of your reviews! I can't believe the positive response the first chapter received and how lovely you all have been.**

 **I hope you enjoy the next chapter and please do favourite and review!**

Closing the door to his mom's room, Reid sighed before running his fingers through his hair and looking around his living room. Moving towards one of the bookcases, he ran his finger across the spines of his books before smiling to himself. It felt almost strange to be surrounded by his possessions, to hear the traffic outside and the familiar creaking of the floorboards that he had always meant to deal with but had always known he would never do.

Moving towards his couch, Spencer sat down in silence before burying his face into his hands. He still didn't feel able to relax yet. What if something else happened this evening? What if this wasn't real? He might wake up any minute now and find himself still in prison. Lifting his head out of his hands, he sighed as he looked towards his mom's bedroom door. He felt awful. He had brought his mom into this house to protect her, to keep her safe but instead he had gotten his mother's nurse killed and his mother had been kidnapped. Why had nothing else changed when he had been in jail? His apartment was identical to the day he had left it to go to Mexico. Nothing had changed but he felt like he was a different person. He had poisoned people in prison. He had been convinced for part of the day that he was going to be a father. Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed before standing up and moving towards the window. The view hadn't even changed. Throwing his suit jacket onto the floor, he quickly loosened his tie before shaking his head again. He couldn't get relax. He couldn't get rid of the feeling that something else was going to happen, that he wouldn't be able to relax again.

"Come on," he groaned to himself, kicking his jacket on the floor before moving towards the table where he had put his phone when he'd got in. Holding it in his hand, he sighed as he looked around his apartment again. Perhaps he could move somewhere new, somewhere that didn't feel tainted by what had happened. Jumping slightly when the phone started to vibrate in his hand, Reid looked down to see Alex's name flashing up on the screen. Smiling weakly, Reid hit the answer button before lifting the phone to his ear. "Hello," he said quietly, moving back towards the window to glance out at the darkness.

"I know I said I'd wait for you to call but…" Alex began before falling silent, a sigh leaving her lips while Reid continued to look out of the window. "I wanted to see how you both were doing," the brunette admitted, his smile continuing to grow at the mention of not only himself but his mother as well.

"We're both okay," Spencer said quietly.

"Spence," Alex whispered, clearly not believing him. "Talk to me."

"Can we talk in person?" he found himself asking, although he wasn't surprised. He needed to see her in person, to know that she was real. Moving away from the window, he began to pace up and down the room. "Will you come over please Alex?" Reid asked, stopping by his book shelves when he heard Alex talking to someone else. He could hear her talking to someone, although he couldn't make out what she was saying. "You're busy Alex, we can talk in the morning."

"Reid, look out of your window," she responded, the other person silent while he moved back towards the window, his hand pushing the curtain away to see a cab pulled up outside. "What can you see?" she asked.

"A cab," he answered, unable to stop himself from smiling when the door opened and a familiar figure climbed out of the back of the vehicle. "And you," Reid added, laughing gently when the brunette waved up at him before striding towards the steps to his building. Moving towards his front door, Spencer unlocked it before resting against the door frame, waiting for her to appear.

"You've gone quiet Spencer," Alex commented down the phone. He could hear her footsteps at the bottom of the steps and suddenly his words had left him. He hadn't seen Alex in years, although they talked weekly and had occasionally skyped one another, and yet a couple of hours ago he had found himself kissing her in the middle of the corridor at his work. The last time they had talked she had been in Boston, had been married, and hadn't seemed interested in him like that. Now, her wedding ring was missing, she had been waiting for him to come back and had kissed him back. "Spencer?" Alex asked.

"I know, I can't think of anything to say," he said honestly, her laugh echoing down the phone and around his building when she started to appear on the stairs in front of him. "You were already in the cab when you called," he observed to her when she approached him, her shoulders shrugging as she hung up the phone and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans.

"I just had a feeling," Alex admitted as they stood in front of one another. She could immediately tell that he was exhausted and something was wrong. He was fidgeting on the spot and he kept looking down at the floor, he wasn't as confident as he usually was around her and he kept running his fingers through his hair. "Spencer," she whispered, stepping closer before she rested her hand on his cheek, gently moving his head up so he was looking straight at her. "You're exhausted," she said quietly, her hand moving from his cheek to find his own hand before she led him into his apartment. His home hadn't changed at all since she had last visited before she left for Boston.

"I'm not being a very good host," Reid commented when Alex continued to lead him towards his couch.

"I'll forgive you for tonight," Alex responded, her hand squeezing his before she stepped closer to him, his free hand moving to rest on the small of her back. "Have you got any tea?" she asked against his lips, the young profiler nodding as he considered what he'd seen in his cupboards when he'd returned home. JJ and Penelope had clearly kept them well stocked while he had been in prison. "Why don't you make some tea and meet me in the bedroom?" she asked quietly, not surprised when he tensed.

"Bedroom?" Reid repeated nervously when she nodded slowly and stepped away from him. "Alex…"

"Tea Spencer," she smiled, disappearing into his bedroom while he remained frozen where he stood. Alex Blake had just gone into his bedroom. Doctor Alex Blake. Doctor Alex Blake who he had been kissing earlier was in his bedroom. "Spencer, stop overthinking and make the tea," the brunette called from the other room, his smile growing before he shook his head and moved towards the kitchen. Boiling the kettle, Reid grabbed two mugs, glancing back to look at his bedroom door while he waited for the kettle to boil. What was she doing in his room? Hearing the kettle click, Reid sighed when he continued to make the tea before shaking his head and taking hold of the two mugs.

"Alex," Spencer called out, walking back towards his bedroom. His apartment seemed too quiet now, although nothing had changed. "Alex," he said again, nudging the door open with his foot before stepping inside.

"I was beginning to think you'd got lost," Alex commented, turning to face him as he remained in the doorway. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She had drawn the curtains and was sat cross-legged on his bed with his laptop open in front of her. Her shoes were on the floor beside his and her jacket was resting on the back of a nearby chair, her hair untied and flowing down her shoulders. She looked so relaxed, so at home in his space. "Let me take those," she smiled, stretching across his bed to take the mugs from him when he stepped forward before resting it on the bedside table. "Now take your jacket and shoes off," she whispered, the profiler nodding as he removed his jacket and placed it at the end of his bed before sitting down and untying his shoes. Feeling her move behind him, Spencer smiled when he felt her hands move to his shoulder before she lightly pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You're rather wonderful Alex Blake," Spencer whispered, kicking his shoes off before turning his head to look at her. "Now what are you doing on my laptop? How did you even get on my laptop?" he asked quickly, glancing across at the machine while she laughed gently and shook her head.

"Your password was easy to guess," she answered, pressing another kiss to his cheek before she moved away from him and returned her focus to the laptop. Moving to lie back against his pillows, Spencer watched the other woman type, his smile continuing to grow as Alex muttered to herself under her breath.

"Anything I can do?" he asked quietly.

"Just relax, drink your tea," she suggested before smiling and turning to face him. "Ready?"

"I don't know what do be ready for Alex," Reid stated, her head shaking before she pressed play on the laptop and moved to sit beside him. Watching Spencer's reaction, Alex laughed when he glanced across at her, shock covering his face before he pointed at the laptop. "Really?" he asked, the brunette nodding as a small laugh left her lips. Opening her mouth to speak, Alex fell silent when the profiler leant forward and pressed his lips to hers, his arm sneaking around her body to pull her closer. "Thank you for coming over," Spencer whispered against her lips when they separated slightly, the brunette remaining silent as they moved closer to one another, her head resting against his shoulder while his arm tightened around her.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Alex whispered, relaxing in his arms as the Doctor Who theme tune began to echo around the room.

CRIMINAL MINDS- CRIMINAL MINDS

All she could hear was a phone ringing.

Groaning to herself, Alex moved slightly before smiling to herself when she felt Spencer's arm around her tighten. Looking up at the younger man, the brunette shook her head at the sight of him fast asleep, his face half buried in the pillow and concealed by his hair. He looked relaxed for the first time. She hadn't been surprised that he'd fallen asleep before the end of the first episode of Doctor Who, he had just needed to relax. Moving his arm slowly, the brunette sat up before reaching across Reid's sleeping body to take hold of the phone that was practically screaming at them from the bedside table.

"Doctor Spencer Reid's phone," she whispered into it, running her fingers through her hair while she continued to look at Reid.

"Could I speak it to Doctor Reid? It's an emergency," a panicked voice responded, her eyes shutting briefly before she sighed and nodded to herself. She didn't want to wake him but she could tell that something was wrong and he was needed.

"Of course, I'll just get him," Alex responded, resting the phone on her pillow before she leant down and shook his shoulder slightly. "Spencer," she said quietly, hating herself for having to disturb him. "Spencer," she repeated slightly louder, shaking him again before he groaned and began to open his eyes. "I'm sorry, there's someone on the phone for you," the brunette admitted, taking hold of the phone again before holding it out to him. "It's an emergency."

"Okay, it's okay," Spencer said quietly, taking the phone from her before he sat up and held it against his ear. "Doctor Spencer Reid." Watching him as he sat in silence, Alex saw the moment his body tensed before he stood up and grabbed his shoes and jacket. "I'll be there, I'm leaving now," the doctor stated, his panic obvious as he moved out of the room, Alex climbing off the bed to follow him in time to see him throw his phone onto the couch.

"Spencer," she whispered, her arms wrapping around his body as he turned to face her with an expression she'd never seen on him before, an expression that terrified her.

"I'm going to kill him."

 **What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know.**

 **If there's anything you want to see happen in the story, let me know and I'll see what I can do.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for your lovely reviews and I hope you had a lovely birthday CriminalMindsFR.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please leave a review, let me know your opinion! It started as a small chapter, then I wanted to write out the entire episode and it kept getting longer and longer so I really hope you enjoy reading it.**

She had never seen Spencer so angry before.

Even after Maeve's murder in front of them all, she hadn't seen the pure unadulterated rage that filled his eyes when he had run out of his apartment hours earlier. Moving off his couch in silence, the brunette ran her fingers through her hair before moving towards the window to glance out at the street. It was practically dead outside. Everyone was asleep, she should be asleep but she couldn't. She couldn't shut her eyes without seeing Spencer's face, remembering the anger that had taken over him when he'd walked out of his apartment, pulling a shelf full of books onto the floor before he had slammed the door. She had piled the books on the floor next to the bookcase once Reid had left, not wanting to put them incorrectly onto the shelves. She didn't want him to come home and be reminded of his loss of temper.

His sudden outburst of violence had unnerved her. Alex had listened to him threaten to kill Scratch, had watched the books fall to the floor when he had exited, and seen the pure anger that had covered his face after the phone call and the combination had terrified her. She had known Spencer for years and never had she seen that look. It was the look of anger that she had seen in Curtis' face when he had abducted her. It was a look she had never imagined seeing on Spencer Reid's face. No matter what Spencer had always been able to take a step back from what was going on. His intention to kill someone, even someone so vile, shocked her. Spencer Reid was not a killer. He had killed, they all had, but he had always pulled the trigger to defend, to protect others or himself. Wrapping her arms around her body as she felt a chill run down her spine, Alex bit into her lip as she glanced behind her at his apartment, desperately clinging onto the hope that he wouldn't kill Scratch. If he did, if he did pull the trigger and murder the man who had tortured his team, Alex wasn't sure they would ever get Spencer back.

Moving back towards the couch, Alex sighed before she picked up her phone and stared at the blank screen for a moment. She didn't want to be that person who constantly called, who worried about him, she didn't really have the right too. Curling her legs underneath her body as she attempted to relax, Alex sighed as she thought about the kiss they had shared in the corridor of the BAU, the way his arms wrapped around her body to hold her close to him. She hadn't expected the kiss, hadn't expected Spencer to be attracted to her in anyway but their shared kisses and the time they had spent together, fast asleep on his bed, didn't give her the right to suddenly start ringing him at work to find out whether he was okay. Shaking her head in frustration, the brunette quickly unlocked her phone before finding his number and hitting the call button, sitting down as she heard it begin to ring. She wasn't expecting him to answer, he hadn't when she had called him after he had stormed out of the apartment without telling her anything about the phone call he had received. Hearing the familiar voicemail message, Alex sighed at the positive tone of Spencer's recording before relaxing back into the leather of his couch and closing her eyes.

"Hi Spence, it's me…"

CRIMINAL MINDS- CRIMINAL MINDS

Staring at the message Emily and Stephen had used to lure Scratch out, Spencer shook his head before groaning in frustration. Why couldn't he see the answer? Rubbing his palm into his eyes again in a desperate attempt to understand the answer, the profiler groaned again at his inability to see clearly. Why couldn't he work out what it was? If anything happened to Emily it would be his fault. They were relying on him to work out what B-Cap was. It was clearly important, important enough to have brought Scratch back out into the open, and he couldn't work out why. Sitting down at the table, Reid shook his head before he heard the familiar beep of his phone. Reaching across for the phone, Spencer took hold of it, smiling weakly at the notification that flashed up on the screen. He hadn't even heard it ring. He knew Alex was worried. He had walked out of his apartment without even telling her why he needed to go. Dialling his voicemail, Spencer sighed before holding the phone to his ear, unable to stop himself from staring at the text message that was deluding him.

"Hi Spence, it's me," Alex began, her voice immediately telling him that she was nervous before she fell silent. He had scared her, he'd worried her. "I know you're probably busy right now but I had to call, I needed to see how you were," she said before falling silent again, his head shaking while he ran his free hand through his hair. "Because what you said before you left… Well Spence, it scared me," she admitted, his eyes shutting as he remembered the statement he had made, guilt running through him as he thought about the woman who had watched his outburst in shocked silence. He wanted to kill Scratch, he still wanted to kill him, and he knew that Alex had understood that. "Promise me Spencer that you'll stop before you do something you regret because you are not a killer," she stated desperately, his eyes remaining shut while he breathed out. What if he was? What if he was a killer? Every inch of him wanted to kill Scratch. He wanted to watch the life leave the other man. "Just come home Spence, when whatever is going on is over, come home," she suddenly whispered. He couldn't help but hear that the brunette was on the verge of crying and he hated himself for it. He had hurt Alex, hurt the woman that he cared deeply for. "Because it will end Spence, it will all be over soon. You'll work it out like you always do, I know you will," Alex said weakly. "I better go but I'll see you when you come home," the brunette added confidently before hanging up the phone, Spencer's head shaking when he opened his eyes and glanced at the board again.

There was nowhere else he wanted to be right now then in his apartment with Alex, knowing that his team was safe and Scratch was gone. He wanted nothing more than to hold Alex close to him again, to kiss her, to hear her laugh, to apologise for running out of his apartment and leaving her behind. He had an incredible, intelligent, loving woman waiting at his apartment for him to come home and it was one stupid word that was stopping him from solving this case, saving Emily, and arresting Scratch.

"B-Cap," he whispered, staring at the word before groaning in frustration at his own idiocy. Grabbing a book on plants, he quickly began to flick through it to the page he needed while moving towards the board, his head shaking again when he glanced down at the page. How had it taken him so long? This should have taken him seconds, not an hour! Throwing the book across the room in frustration, he didn't even register the noise of it smashing against the glass. "Banisteriopsis caapi," he said to himself, moving towards the door, opening it to see Penelope and Matt staring up at him from the desks. "I know what B-Cap is," he stated, moving back into the conference room as his two colleagues walked up to join him.

"What is it?" Penelope asked, smiling weakly when Spencer began to explain about the properties of the plant, his frustration building. He should have worked this out fifty-nine minutes ago. He had just wasted precious time trying to understand. Time that might cost Emily her life. Hearing Penelope comment on the book he had thrown, Reid looked straight at her, noticing the worry that covered her face.

"If Emily dies because I was too slow, I'll be throwing more than books," Reid stated before walking out of the conference room, his head shaking again. He wasn't going to have anyone else die because of him, because of his poor decisions or his inability to work the answer out quick enough. Sitting down at his desk, Spencer buried his face into his hands before groaning in frustration. He desperately wanted to be able to concentrate, to feel confident in his own abilities. What if Emily was dead right now? What if she had died in the last hour while he had been pacing up and down trying to work out what B-Cap meant?

What if Emily's blood was on his hands because he had been too slow?

CRIMINAL MINDS- CRIMINAL MINDS

Keeping his arm wrapped around Emily as she continued to rest her head on his shoulder, Reid smiled weakly while he continued to stare at the closed elevator doors. Luke and Matt stood either side them in silence, none of them looking at each other as they waited for the doors to open. Scratch was dead. Scratch had died. Reid had stood beside Emily at the scene, keeping her close while they had all stared down at the lifeless body of the man who had tormented them all for years.

"It's over," Emily whispered, breaking the silence as the three men glanced at her. "It's really over," she said again, her voice full of the shock that all of them felt. It seemed impossible that Scratch had just fallen to his death. They had all just stood there in the street, staring at his corpse waiting for him to sit up and attack them. Hearing the elevator doors open, the four agents walked out, Emily's hand grabbing Reid's to stop him from following Luke and Matt further into the BAU. "Thank you for staying with me Spencer," Emily said quietly, staring at her friend as he shrugged. "Luke told me what you said," she admitted, falling silent when Reid shook his head.

"I wouldn't have done it," Reid admitted, realising now that he had would never had killed Scratch. When he had taken in the injury to Scratch's skull, he had realised that he would never had taken Scratch's life. He wasn't a killer. When Emily had begged him to stay with her, his thoughts had gone to Alex and the sadness in her voice during her voicemail message and the promise she had asked him to make which was why he had agreed to stay with her. Although he had wanted to stay with Emily, he had stayed with her to keep his promise to Alex. By staying with her, he had stopped himself from getting into a situation where he might have been the reason Scratch was dead. "I made a promise to someone important," he whispered, Emily's eyebrows rising at the comment.

"Someone important?" Emily asked, unable to stop herself from smiling when Reid began to blush before nodding nervously. "She's a lucky lady, whoever she is, Spencer," Emily declared, her arms wrapping around Spencer to hug him tight before his own moved around her. "It's all over," the dark-haired woman whispered, Reid's head nodding as he breathed out a sigh of a relief.

"It's over," he repeated before laughing gently. "It's actually over," he said again. He couldn't believe it. Scratch was dead. The man who had assisted in getting him arrested, the man who had tormented Hotch into witness protection, the man who had murdered Stephen Walker.

"Emily, Spence," a voice called out, pulling Emily and Spencer apart to see JJ walking towards them while Will stood behind her, her pace quickening before she wrapped her arms around her two friends. "You're okay," she whispered, stepping away to look at Emily first before turning to face Spencer. "You're both okay," she said again, smiling weakly when Spencer ran his hand across her cheek, taking in the bandage to her forehead.

"How are you?" Emily asked, JJ's head shaking as her smile began to grow.

"Just another scar to add to the rest," she said quietly, moving back as Will walked towards them, his arm wrapping tightly around his wife before she rested her head against his shoulder. "Dave and Tara are both okay, they'll be discharged soon," the blonde admitted, Emily nodding silently as Penelope, Luke and Matt approached, a nervous smile covering all their faces.

"Excuse me," Reid said quietly, moving away from the group as they all watched.

"Is he alright?" JJ asked, her voice betraying her concern, while she watched her friend walk down the corridor, his phone pressed against his ear.

"I think Spence might have a girlfriend," Emily admitted.

CRIMINAL MINDS-CRIMINAL MINDS

"Excuse me," Reid said quietly, smiling weakly at his colleagues before he moved away and started to walk down the corridor. Digging his phone out of his pocket, Spencer smiled to himself before dialling the one person he was missing. Stopping at the end of the corridor, the profiler sighed as he moved the phone to his ear and waited for her to answer.

"Hello," Alex answered, a yawn leaving her lips while he laughed gently.

"I woke you," he responded, keeping his voice down in a desperate attempt to stop his team from listening in to his conversation. Spencer knew they'd be curious about why he had left them to call someone and he wouldn't be surprised if Emily had commented.

"I don't care Spence, I'm just happy to hear from you," she admitted, his head nodding as he stood still. He just wanted to go home, he wanted to see Alex in person and apologise for how angry he had been earlier. He wanted to apologise for scaring her. "What's happened?" she asked quietly.

"It was a trap, he crashed into their cars," Reid whispered, remembering the fear that had overtaken him when JJ was wheeled into the hospital, followed by the rest of the team before Luke had taken him to one side and explained that Stephen was dead and Emily was missing. "He killed Stephen and kidnapped Emily, he thought he could get Hotch's location from her," he said quietly, feeling his hands shake. Stephen was dead, Emily could have died to.

"I'm sorry Spence, I know you liked Stephen," Alex said quietly. She hadn't met Stephen but she knew the younger profiler had enjoyed working with him. He had often come up during one of their conversations, although she wasn't sure whether Spencer knew how much he had mentioned Stephen specifically. "Is Emily okay? What about everyone else? JJ? Rossi?" the brunette asked. She'd become close to all of them during her time on the team and she knew how important they were to Spencer. She couldn't imagine what his life would be like if anyone else on the team had been really hurt.

"They're fine. Rossi and Tara are still in hospital but they should be discharged soon, JJ got some glass in her eye," Reid admitted, glancing back briefly to see the entire team watching him. "He's dead Alex," Spencer finally sighed, turning away from the team while his free hand moved to his hair.

"How did he…" she began before falling silent.

"He fell off the roof," Reid admitted, the brunette remaining silent as he closed his eyes briefly. "I was with Emily when it happened, I made a promise earlier to someone important that I fully intended to keep," the profiler admitted, the brunette remaining silent while he bit into his lip nervously. "Alex?" he asked quietly. He knew she was still there, he could hear her breathing. "Rossi called me an ass clown earlier," he found himself saying, desperately trying to get a response from the brunette, his head shaking when Alex suddenly began to laugh loudly down the phone.

"Ass clown?" she asked.

"He was refusing to have surgery, he had something he needed to tell us. I'm putting it down to him being in pain," Spencer admitted, his smile growing when Alex continued to laugh. "I'm hoping it doesn't become a new nickname."

"I might have to remember that one," Alex smiled before they both fell silent again. "I should let you go, I imagine you have some things to do before you come home."

"No, we're just about to leave," Spencer admitted, looking back to see JJ and Penelope hugging before JJ moved towards the elevator with Will. "Go to sleep Alex, I'll be back soon."

"I'll wait, I've found a crossword," the brunette stated, his head shaking as he imagined her curled up on his couch, working on a crossword that he hadn't gotten around to starting. "I'll see you soon Spence," she whispered, the profiler repeating the statement before hanging up and sliding his phone back into his pocket.

CRIMINAL MINDS-CRIMINAL MINDS

Unlocking the door to his apartment, Spencer gently closed the door before walking down the corridor towards his living room. There seemed to be only one light on in the apartment and he guessed it was the lamp beside his couch. It wasn't bright enough to be anything else. Stepping into the living room, the profiler smiled to himself at the sight of Alex curled up on his couch, the crossword resting on her lap as she slept.

"Alex," he smiled, moving to kneel beside the couch as the brunette groaned in the sleep and moved slightly, the crossword falling to the floor. "Alex," he said again, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek, noticing the smile that decorated her face as she began to open her eyes. "Come on you, bed," he stated, standing before he held his hand out towards her, the brunette groaning as she took hold of his hand and stood up. Watching her as she stood in front of him, her hand holding onto his tightly, Spencer smiled before leaning down and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I really want to kiss you Alex."

"Then why don't you?" she asked quietly, glancing up at him as he shook his head.

"I'm so tired, I'd probably do it really badly," Spencer admitted before yawning, Alex's head shaking before she rested her hand on his cheek.

"Shut up ass clown," she whispered before kissing him gently.

 **So? Love it? Hate it? Let me know!**

 **Reid's six weeks of leave is going to be coming up soon so if there's anything you want to see Alex/Reid do, please let me know and I'll see if I can put it into the story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited this story! It's fantastic to know that you're enjoying this story and I hope you continue to enjoy!**

It didn't seem real to him.

Even after half an hour of watching her sleep beside him, he still couldn't believe that Doctor Alex Blake was actually fast asleep in his bed. He was lying on his side, one hand buried underneath his head while his spare hand placed close to her, her hand resting close enough that he could brush his fingers against hers when he stretched out slightly. Alex Blake was in his bed! Smiling to himself, Reid moved his hand closer to hers, his fingers brushing across hers while he continued to watch her. She looked so peaceful, so unbelievably beautiful.

He'd never woken up in bed with someone else before and he knew Alex had probably guessed. She had offered to asleep on top of the duvet, offered to sleep on the couch so that he had the space to himself, but he had shaken his head and pulled the duvet back for them both. They had both fallen asleep fully dressed, although Alex had leant across silently to undo his tie. He had practically collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion after removing his shoes and hadn't cared in that moment whether he went to sleep with his tie on.

"Are you watching me sleep?" Alex suddenly muttered, a light laugh leaving his lips while she opened her eyes to look at him, her own smile growing when the profiler began to blush. Rolling onto his back, Spencer covered his eyes with his arm, aware that he was starting to turn bright red. "The fact that you're blushing makes me think that you were," she commented, Reid groaning to himself before Alex moved closer to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Good morning Spence," Alex whispered against his cheek before moving away, the profiler nodding as she rested back against the pillows on her side and turned her head to look at him. "How did you sleep?" she asked quietly, Reid's arm moving from his face before he turned onto his side again and looked at her.

"Really good, you?" Reid asked quietly.

"Same," she admitted, unable to stop herself from reaching across to brush hair from his face. "Do you remember when you said that your mom and Aunt Ethel thought your hair was too long?" Alex whispered, her fingers running through his hair as she moved onto her side while he remained silent. "I don't know what they're going to say about your latest hair style because Spence, its really long," she smiled, both laughing while he shook his head at her. "You might actually be rivalling mine soon."

"I think I'll cut it before it gets that long," Spencer admitted, his smile growing before he sighed, the room going quiet while they watched one another. "Can I ask you about…" he began before falling silent again, the brunette nodding as she reached across and found his hand.

"You can ask me anything," she whispered. They need to be honest. She couldn't expect him to tell her about what had happened to him when he was ready if she wasn't willing to explain why she was no longer with her husband.

"What happened with James?" he asked quietly, clearly nervous as Alex smiled weakly. "You don't have to answer."

"I'm currently in bed with you Spencer, we've kissed. You deserve to know why I'm not in Boston with James more than anyone," she stated before biting into her bottom lip. Now that it was time to explain what had happened to her marriage, she couldn't find the words. "I guess we just fell out of love with one another," she whispered, unconsciously glancing down at her ring finger which her wedding band had decorated for years. "When we were apart, coming back together was so exciting. It was always like we were in the first stages of dating and then he'd leave and life would go back to normal. James being around every day just wasn't my normal and I wasn't his," she said quietly, looking back up to see Reid staring at her. "We tried, we tried really hard but in the end, we felt like we were on top of one another," Alex sighed, her head shaking while Reid remained silent, watching her nervously. "We weren't happy together and then he met someone else."

"He didn't?" Reid asked quietly. He had never considered that James might have cheated on her. He had seen how much James had loved Alex, he thought the other man was completely dedicated to the brunette.

"He didn't," Alex responded quickly, aware of where Reid's thoughts must have gone. "He was very honest about it. We sat down one evening and he admitted that he'd met someone else," Alex smiled weakly before shaking her head. "And I couldn't be angry with him. It was very amiable in the end," Alex said quietly. She couldn't ever hate James. Their divorce wasn't the consequence of adultery or abuse or hatred, they just weren't in love with each other anymore and both had been presented with the opportunity to be happy with someone else. He was always going to be the father of her child, the man she had spent so many happy years with even if their marriage hadn't worked in the end.

"When did this happen?" Reid asked quietly.

"Three months ago," Alex admitted, her head shaking when Reid's arm moved around her, pulling her close to him before she rested her head against his chest. "I tried calling you that evening," she said quietly, her eyes shutting as Reid stared down at her dark hair. "I thought you were on a case and couldn't answer the phone, so I tried again a week later, and the following week but your phone was always dead."

"I'm sorry Alex," Spencer whispered.

"Don't apologise, you have nothing to be sorry for," Alex stated, breathing out gently. "I called Penelope and she told me that you'd gone away for a case and they weren't sure when you'd be back but she'd let me know when she could," she admitted, remembering how she'd known something was wrong, even though Garcia had attempted to remain positive. Alex had never heard Garcia sound so nervous, so upset while forcing herself to sound happy. "She called me the other day and told me everything, she told me you were being released from jail and I got the first flight here and well, you know the rest," she explained, sitting up to stare down at him while Reid smiled weakly.

"Where are you living in Boston?" he asked quietly.

"At the house. James has moved in with a friend and we're trying to sell it," she admitted, smiling at the younger man while he continued to watch her. "I'm trying to get a transfer back to Georgetown. I miss my life here," the brunette admitted. "I miss my friends, I miss the team. I was happy here even after everything that happened," she smiled, falling silent when Reid sat up. Breathing out slowly, Alex smiled weakly as she turned her body, so she was facing him completely. "And I missed you Spencer," Alex admitted quietly, suddenly very nervous. "I missed you the most."

"I missed you too," Reid nodded, her body moving closer to his before she rested her forehead against his. "Alex," he whispered, his left hand moving to rest on the small of her back through her shirt while she closed her eyes. It didn't feel as strange to him as he thought it might, being in bed with a woman he had once worked with, being so close to her.

"Why did you kiss me?" Alex asked quietly, remembering her surprise when the young profiler had pulled her close and kissed her in the middle of the Bureau, not caring in that moment who saw them.

"I…" he began, falling silent when he heard a door in his apartment open and close. "That's my mom," he muttered, a small laugh leaving Alex's lips when she nodded and moved away from him. "I'm sorry," he whispered, climbing out of the bed while Alex relaxed back against the pillows, watching him as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I…" he began, her head shaking as she stood up and walked towards him.

"I can stay in here Spence," Alex whispered, her hand finding his before squeezing it gently. She knew that he would be nervous about introducing her to his mom and she didn't want to put him in that position yet. Spencer had told her about how nervous he had been the first time he had introduced his mother to the team and how ashamed he was of himself for being embarrassed. "You've both been through an event that other people couldn't even imagine," Alex said to him, trying to assure him that he wasn't doing anything wrong by not introducing her. "Let's not shock her further by having a woman she doesn't know walk out of your bedroom," she added, Reid laughing before he nodded and moved towards the door, stopping when his hand touched the handle. "Spencer," she whispered, falling silent when he turned to face her.

"I kissed you because I like you Alex, I've always liked you and seeing you, after being in jail and nearly losing my mom and everything else that's happened recently, well, I wasn't going to let you walk away again," he stated, surprising her with the confidence in his voice, before he opened the door and walked out, the brunette sitting on the edge of the bed in amazement. How did he always manage to surprise her?

CRIMINAL MINDS-CRIMINAL MINDS

Walking back into his bedroom an hour after he had left it, Spencer smiled at the sight of Alex curled up on his bed, fully concentrated on the book she was reading. Moving around his room, the profiler began to find clothes to wear. He wanted to get out of his suit more than anything. He never wanted to wear it again. He had confronted his mother's kidnapper in this suit, he had seen Scratch's dead body in this suit. He just wanted to shower.

"Everything okay?" Alex asked quietly, looking up from her book while Reid pulled a shirt out of his wardrobe.

"She's okay, she's gone back to bed," he admitted before sighing. His mother had smiled weakly at him when he had walked out of his room to greet her. She had silently picked a book off the shelf and had stood there shyly before saying anything to him. "She wants to go back to Las Vegas," he said quietly, shaking his head while Alex closed the book she had borrowed. Climbing off the bed, Alex walked towards him while he remained silent, a sad smile decorating her face as she took the spare clothes from him and rested them on the edge of the bed. "I failed her."

"You didn't fail," Alex said quietly, standing nervously in front of him while he glanced down at his odd sock covered feet. "You wanted to look after your mom Spence, you were trying to do what was best for her and you made a mistake," she whispered, his head shaking at her. "What are you going to do?" she asked, the profiler looking up at her before shrugging.

"I'll call Bennington this afternoon, apologise and ask whether she can move back," he admitted. He couldn't force his mother to live with him any longer. All he had wanted to do was look after her, he thought he'd known better than everyone else and that had almost cost him everything. He wanted his mother to be happy and Bennington Sanitorium was where she wanted to go. "I can't stay here all the time and her nurse was murdered because of me, and I don't think she'd trust another nurse hired here," Spencer whispered, unable to stop himself from seeing Lyndsey walking in to collect his mom from the prison, the smile that had covered her face when she had led his mother away. "She needs to be around people who can keep her safe and look after her properly, I've proven that I can't do that."

"Spencer, you did what any of us would have done if there was something available that we thought would help a loved one," Alex stated, finding his hand before squeezing it gently. "If someone had told me there was something out there that would have given me even another hour with Ethan, I would have done the exact same," the brunette whispered, smiling weakly when Spencer's other hand rested on the small of her back before bringing her closer to him.

"Am I doing the right thing Alex?" he asked quietly, pressing a kiss into her hair before closing his eyes.

"I think you are," Alex admitted into his chest while she remained close to his body. "I know it's hard Spencer but it's what she wants. She wants to go home," she whispered, the profiler nodding before sighing. He knew that his mother had been happy in Vegas and he wanted her to be happy. His mother had suffered because of him and he would do anything to stop her from feeling any more pain. He wanted to keep her safe and if that was in Vegas, then he would find her a place.

"I'll call the sanitorium today, but I can't go to Vegas until after Stephen's funeral," he said quietly, stepping away from Alex as she nodded sadly. He needed to say his final goodbye to his colleague and friend, he needed to find a way of apologising to Stephen for his murder. "I'm going to go and shower," Spencer stated, looking back at the clothes he'd chosen as Alex nodded.

"I might go back to my hotel Spence. I need to have a shower, get changed," Alex said quietly before they fell silent. "Will you call me later?" she asked.

"Yes, of course," Spencer promised, pressing another kiss to her forehead before stepping away and brushing his fingers across her cheek. "Actually Alex," he began, falling silent when her eyebrows rose, questioning him.

"Yes Spencer," Alex replied, watching him when he began to blush, her smile growing at the sight. She forgot sometimes how embarrassed he got. "Spence," she smiled, desperately trying to calm his nerves as he shook his head.

"Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" Spencer blurted out quickly, the brunette laughing gently before she nodded.

"Now that wasn't too hard to ask, was it?" she smiled before pressing a light kiss to his cheek, Spencer laughing when he shook his head in response. "I'd love to come for dinner, shall I bring a bottle?" she asked, the profiler nodding before he kissed her gently. "I'll see you this evening," she whispered, kissing him briefly before she stepped away to search for her shoes, the profiler watching her with a small smile on his face.

 **So next chapter, first date time. Will everything go smoothly?**

 **If you do have the chance, please review and have a lovely evening or day, depending on where you are in the world right now!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This ended up turning into a really long chapter so I hope you enjoy it. I just fell in love with their date and it kept growing.**

Why was someone knocking at his door?

Alex had left over an hour ago and after a shower and a reasonably stress from phone call with one of the Doctor's at Bennington, he had considered sitting down on the couch and reading a book before getting ready for his evening with Alex. However, when he had walked out of his bedroom after putting the phone down, someone had started knocking and they weren't going anywhere.

"Uncle Spence, Uncle Spence," a voice suddenly called out from behind the door, a laugh leaving the profiler's lips when he moved towards it before opening the door and feeling Henry's arms quickly wrap around his legs. "You've really come back," his godson beamed, Spencer smiling as he glanced down at the mess of blonde hair. "I've missed you," Henry admitted, tightening his grip around Spencer's legs.

"I've missed you too Henry," Reid admitted, his hand ruffling the young boy's hair. "I got your painting, it was fantastic," he smiled.

"Henry LaMontagne, I told you to wait for me," JJ's voice called up the stairs, Spencer's head shaking when the boy tensed against him. Smiling as the blonde profiler began to walk up the stairs with Michael perched on her hip, Reid rested his hand on Henry's shoulder while JJ shook her head and approached the two of them. "You're in serious trouble Henry, wait till I tell your dad," she warned, stepping forward and wrapping her free arm around Reid, hugging him gently before Michael began to moan between them. "Did mommy just squish you Michael?" she asked, staring down at her youngest while he looked up at her miserably, Spencer laughing gently at the pair of them. He had missed JJ's family. He had missed how at ease he felt around the two boys.

"I wanted to see Uncle Spence mom," Henry answered, neither profiler failing to notice how the boy had moved to hide slightly behind his godfather. "You're not allowed to go away ever again, we missed you," the blonde child declared. "Where did you go?" he asked quietly, staring up at the profiler as Reid smiled weakly and looked at him.

"I was on a secret mission for work," Reid declared, desperately trying to keep the smile on his face. He didn't want Henry to see him look sad. He knew that his godson must have been terrified when his mom had come home with a bandage and he didn't want to add to that fear. "No one else on the team has my magic," he smiled, Henry laughing before he stepped inside Reid's apartment and disappeared from sight, JJ's head shaking at her son's independence.

"Do you remember when he was tiny?" JJ asked quietly, Spencer's smile continuing to grow as he moved out of the way to allow his friend into the apartment. "Where's my baby gone Spence?" she smiled weakly, unconsciously holding Michael closer to her while Reid closed the door.

"He's still in there somewhere behind all the height and hair and confidence," Spencer commented, her head shaking before she turned to face her friend. "How are you feeling JJ?" he asked, glancing at the bandage that covered her forehead.

"Fine, a little tired but I'm okay," she responded, smiling weakly. "What about you?"

"I'm okay, just relieved it's over," he smiled, his hand reaching out to ruffle Michael's hair, a small laugh left the boy's lips. "Want a cup of coffee?" he asked quickly, unable to stop his smile from growing at the look of relief that covered JJ's face before she nodded. "Henry, do you want some juice?" Reid called out, moving towards his kitchen as he glanced into the living room to see the boy stretched out across his couch.

"Yes please," the boy smiled, JJ's head shaking at her son before she continued to follow Reid into the kitchen.

"They've both missed you so much Spence," JJ admitted, unable to stop herself from looking at Spencer's fridge. It was entirely covered with paintings that Henry had done over the years and none of the fridge could be seen. "We all have," she whispered. Turning the kettle on, Spencer smiled to himself before he turned to face the blonde, his smile growing when Michael squealed and held his arms out towards him. "I think someone wants a hug from his Uncle Spencer," she admitted.

"Hey little man," Spencer said quietly, moving forwards to take Michael out of JJ's arms before looking at the boy. "You're getting big Michael," he declared, JJ nodding when she stepped forward and took two mugs out of his cupboard and started to make their coffee's while Reid smiled at her younger son.

"He's getting really fast as well," JJ smiled, turning her head while Spencer's eyebrows rose. "He's got Will and I running in circles most nights now, especially just before bath time" she laughed gently, continuing with making their coffee before turning and smiling to herself. Michael had rested his head against Spencer's shoulder and the profiler was leaning his own head into her son's, the largest smile decorating his face.

"I've missed this," Spencer admitted, looking straight at JJ while she nodded. She'd missed her friend and she'd seen her children sadden whenever someone mentioned something that they could link back to Spencer. She had spent many evenings sat in bed with Henry, desperately trying to convince herself that Spencer wasn't angry with him and avoiding him because he'd done something wrong. It was lovely to be surrounded by his family again, to be with the two boys who he saw as his nephews.

"They've missed you," JJ smiled before moving to his fridge and taking out the juice, pouring one for Henry before returning it to the fridge. "Henry, come and get your juice," the blonde called out, turning to face Spencer, unable to stop herself from smiling when she watched Spencer hold her son close to him before closing his eyes and breathing out.

"Can I talk to you about something JJ?" Reid asked nervously, the blonde nodding in surprise before looking towards the door when she heard Henry run down the corridor. Passing Henry his juice, JJ knelt in front of him before looking across at Spencer and Michael.

"Henry will you take your brother with you? I need to talk to Uncle Spence for a minute," JJ asked, her eldest son nodding before Reid gently stood Michael on the floor, Henry's hand quickly taking his brother's.

"Can we watch some tv Uncle Spence?" Henry asked, smiling up at the profiler while Spencer laughed and nodded. "Let's go Michael," he smiled at his brother, holding his hand tightly before leading him out of the kitchen slowly.

"Just not too loudly Henry," JJ called out before shaking her head and passing Spencer his coffee. "So, what do you want to talk about?" she asked, moving to rest against the kitchen side while Reid nervously glanced down at the brown liquid. "Does it have something to do with this mysterious girlfriend Emily thinks you have?" JJ suggested, immediately knowing the answer when Spencer looked up at her.

"I've invited her over tonight," Reid said nervously. "For a date, well our first date, although we've been for dinner before, but this is an actual date," he began before falling silent.

"Spence that's great," she beamed, Spencer nodding quickly before blushing. Why did he always have to blush?

"What do I do JJ? I mean, do I cook for her? Do I order something in? Do I get dressed up? I've never really done a proper first date, let alone one at home," he began to ask quickly, clearly becoming more nervous as JJ put her coffee down and stepped towards him.

"Spence, the most important thing is that you be yourself," she smiled. "Order something in tonight. You get pretty clumsy when you're nervous and you don't want to burn her dinner," JJ suggested, the profiler nodding before he took a sip of his coffee. "I imagine if it's a first date she'll dress up a bit, so you might want to look a little smarter than you'd normally dress at home," she added.

"I can do that," Reid smiled, JJ nodding as she stepped back to retrieve her coffee. "I don't want this to go wrong, I really like her JJ," he said quietly.

"Tell me about her, where did you meet?" JJ asked, noticing how Reid glanced down at his coffee again. He didn't want to tell her that it was Alex yet until he'd discussed it with Alex, but he couldn't lie to his best friend. JJ had always been there for him, she was like his sister. They didn't keep secrets unless it was truly necessary.

"We met through work years ago," he said quietly, trying to keep the details to a minimum without giving too much away. "She's amazing JJ, she doesn't mind if I start listing statistics and she laughs at my jokes," he whispered, his smile growing while JJ watched. She hadn't seen him this happy in a long time, if ever, and she found herself loving this woman already. "I can be myself with her JJ, I don't have to be anyone else."

"She sounds great Spence," JJ smiled, hoping to herself that this relationship worked out. She had seen how distraught he had been after Mauve's death and she had watched the pain that had covered his face when he had thought he was going to be the father of his mother's kidnapper's child. She just wanted him to finally be happy. "I can't wait to meet her," JJ said quietly, her head shaking when she heard both her son's laugh loudly. "He really missed you Spence," JJ admitted, looking across at the doorway while Spencer smiled weakly.

"I missed him too, I missed you all," Spencer whispered, putting his coffee down before he moved forward and hugged the blonde. "I'm never going away again JJ, I promise," he said quietly, JJ nodding against his chest before she looked up at him. "Want me to talk to Henry?" he asked.

"Could you?" JJ asked, the profiler nodding as he stepped away and walked out of his kitchen towards his living room, the blonde following him silently. Leaning against the doorframe, JJ smiled when Reid rested on the edge of his couch, Henry smiling up at him while Michael continued to concentrate on the tv.

"Hey Henry, can you help me with something?" Spencer asked, the young boy nodding as he climbed off the couch. Leading Henry into his room, Spencer smiled as Henry moved to sit on the edge of his bed. "I have a very important person coming over for dinner tonight and I need to pick a tie, will you help me?" Reid asked, opening the drawer containing his collection of ties when Henry nodded and moved to join him.

"Do you want a plain one or a fun one?" Henry asked, looking up as Spencer smiled.

"I don't know, what do you think?" he smiled.

"A fun one, with lots of pattern," Henry laughed before going through the drawer, Reid laughing before he nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry I left Henry," Spencer said quietly, the boy stopping before he nodded. "I didn't want to leave," he admitted, falling silent when Henry turned and wrapped his arms around him again.

"I thought you'd gone forever like Jack," Henry admitted, Spencer's eyes closing briefly before he nodded and rested his hand on Henry's shoulder. He hadn't even considered that Henry had lost two people quite close together. He'd seen how close Jack and Henry had become over the years, he had done magic tricks for them both and answered their questions on Doctor Who and comics. "You just disappeared."

"I know and I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to go away for so long," Reid said quietly. "Henry, you and your brother are my family, I'd never leave you," Spencer declared, the blonde boy staring up at him as he smiled weakly. "I promised your mom on the day you were born, while I was holding you for the first time, that I would get you into Yale and I'm going to keep that promise Henry," he smiled, the boy laughing before he hugged Spencer harder.

"I love you Uncle Spence," Henry whispered.

"I love you too," Reid replied. "Now help me pick a tie," he added, the boy laughing before he let go of him and returned to the drawer.

"This one," he declared, holding up a red and black spotted tie.

"That's perfect, thanks Henry," Spencer smiled, taking the tie from him before resting it on the side. At least he didn't have to think about what he was going to wear now, he just had to consider what he was going to order for dinner. "Are we okay Henry?" he asked, kneeling in front of the boy as he nodded.

"We're good Uncle Spence," Henry smiled, high fiving the profiler before Spencer stood up and moved towards the door, Henry following him closely. Walking into his living room, the profiler looked at JJ as she sat on his couch with Michael fast asleep against her chest. "Mom, I helped Spencer pick a tie for dinner."

"Fantastic," JJ beamed, looking up at Spencer as he nodded, indicating to her that everything was okay now. "We probably should get going Henry, your dad will be getting home soon and Spence needs to get ready," JJ stated, standing slowly while holding Michael close to her, her eldest son nodding before he turned to look at Spencer again.

"Can we come over again soon?" Henry asked, looking from Spencer to JJ. "Please," he added, the two adults laughing before nodding.

"Course you can Henry," Spencer smiled quickly. He loved spending time with his godson and he would always take the opportunity to spend time with him. "Maybe we could have a Doctor Who marathon?" he suggested, the boy cheering before moving towards his mom.

"I'll see you soon Spence," JJ stated, pressing a kiss to Spencer's cheek before moving away. "Tonight's going to be great, she'll love you Spencer," the blonde said quietly, walking with Spencer towards his front door while the profiler nodded slowly, Henry following them.

"Uncle Spence, have you got a girlfriend?" Henry asked quickly, JJ laughing gently when Reid began to blush.

"Come on you, time to go home," JJ declared, moving out into the corridor as Henry groaned and followed, Reid smiling at them. "We'll see you soon," JJ said happily, walking towards the stairs as Reid nodded and waved, his own smile growing when Henry waved back.

CRIMINAL MINDS- CRIMINAL MINDS

Standing nervously in the corridor outside of his apartment, Alex bit into her bottom lip before raising her hand to knock against the door. It seemed ridiculous to be so nervous about having dinner with Spencer after how many times they had had dinner together and spent time with one another. This evening was different though. This evening was a date. Shaking her head, Alex glanced down at the black coat she was wearing before sighing. She had spent ages going through the clothes she had brought with her before deciding that nothing was suitable and going out to buy something new, something a bit more appropriate for a first date. Knocking again, Alex looked up at the door, smiling when she heard Spencer begin to unlock the door.

"Hi," Alex greeted when the door opened, Spencer smiling at her before moving out of the way to let her in. "I brought wine," she said quietly, holding up the bottle in her hand as the profiler nodded.

"Let me take that," he suggested, taking the bottle from her before stepping forward and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Hi," he whispered against her cheek, the brunette nodding when he stepped away before following him into the living room. Resting the bottle of wine on the side, Spencer turned as Alex stood silently in the doorway. "Would you like me to take your coat?" he asked, desperately trying to sound confident. Nodding in response, Alex began to undo the buttons, the profiler watching her fingers in silence before she stopped and pushed the jacket from her shoulders. "Oh wow," Spencer said in amazement, blushing when he realised he had spoken aloud. "Alex, you look…" he began before falling silent again. He just couldn't find the words to describe her.

"Thank you," she whispered, aware that she was beginning to blush as well when Spencer took the coat from her and rested it on the back of his armchair. "You look very handsome this evening," she added, stepping closer to him before her fingers reached out and touched the spotted tie. "I love the tie," Alex admitted.

"Henry chose it," Reid said quietly, watching the brunette as she nodded.

"He's got very good taste," Alex smiled before pressing another kiss to his cheek, his hand moving to rest on the small of her back. He couldn't get over how beautiful she looked. She was dressed in a black lace dress that stopped just above her knee, showing her figure perfectly, with a pair of black heels and her hair curled. He had never dressed like this. She had always been a beautiful woman, but she had usually dressed smartly for work and casually on the rare evening out the team had made. This outfit was something different and she looked stunning. "Spencer," she whispered, noticing that he had been silent for a long time.

"I can't believe how beautiful you are Alex," Spencer said quietly, her head shaking before she laughed gently, desperately trying not to blush further. "I've ordered dinner, it should be here soon," he said quietly, the brunette nodding before she bit into her lip and ran her fingers across his cheek. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"Yes please," Alex responded, stepping when from him when his arm moved from her back.

"Sit down, get comfortable. I'll be back in a minute with the wine," Spencer smiled before grabbing the bottle of wine and moving out of the room. Entering his kitchen, Spencer breathed out slowly before reaching up to remove two wine glasses from the cupboard. He couldn't get her out of his head. He had the most beautiful woman currently in his living room on a date with him. With him, the man who had been bullied at college and teased by Morgan for years about women. Pouring the wine into the glasses, Spencer smiled before moving back towards the door, stopping when he heard the knock at the door. Putting the glasses down, Spencer walked out into the corridor, smiling when Alex walked out as well. Answering the door, the profiler quickly paid the delivery boy before taking their food.

"Anything I can do?" Alex asked when Reid turned to face her.

"I've left our wine in the kitchen," he admitted, the brunette nodding before she moved towards the kitchen. "Could you get some cutlery as well Alex?" he called out, Alex laughing as she walked into his kitchen. Noticing where the wine was, Alex nodded before staring at the drawers around his kitchen.

"Spence, which drawer do you keep cutlery in?" she called out, shaking her head when she didn't get a response. "Spence?" she called out again, not receiving an answer again. Opening one drawer after another, Alex smiled to herself when she found the cutlery, quickly removing what she thought they might need before collecting their wine glasses. "Hey Spence, I'm sorry, I had to open a lot of your drawers to find the cutlery," she said as she walked down the corridor, stopping when she entered the living room. "Oh wow," she whispered.

"Let me take those for you," Spencer smiled, moving towards her to take the cutlery and one of the glasses of wine out of her hand while she continued to stare at the room. "Alex?" he asked quietly, her head shaking when she took in the candles covering the bookcases that now lit the room. How had he managed to do this in the time she had been in the kitchen? "You didn't think I'd just order us a curry for a first date," he whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair as she shook her head.

"Spence, this is amazing," Alex smiled when Reid stepped forward and rested the cutlery and his glass down on the table before leaning down, the brunette laughing when he removed a bouquet of roses off the chair and turned to face her.

"For you," Spencer smiled, holding the flowers out to her before she took them from her.

"They're beautiful," Alex laughed gently before stepping forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You're wonderful Spencer," she smiled, unable to stop looking at all the candles while Spencer began to unpack the food, moving two plates off the other chair while she shook her head. How had she not noticed the flowers and plates that had been on top of the chairs at the table in his living room?

"Dinner is served," Spencer smiled, pulling the chair out for her while she laughed and put the roses down, stepping forward to sit down before Reid moved to sit opposite her. "Is this okay?" he asked, looking down at the phone.

"Spence, this is perfect," Alex smiled, the profiler breathing a sigh of relief before she laughed gently. "You even ordered my favourite," she realised, noticing the dish placed in front of her.

"I remembered from when we out for dinner with the team," he shrugged before he started to serve her the food, the brunette continuing to smile at him. How had she gotten this lucky?

CRIMINAL MINDS-CRIMINAL MINDS

Washing up the last plate, Spencer smiled to himself as he thought back to his dinner. Even though he had been terrified, and his hands had shaken while he'd served them dinner, he'd never enjoyed a meal so much. They had laughed together and discussed everything other than their careers. Alex had been amazed by his love of soap operas and had beamed when he told her about JJ's visit with the two boys. He'd laughed when she'd told him about trying to find something to wear. Draining the water, Spencer dried his hands before stopping when he heard music playing from the living room. He hadn't put any music on. Walking back towards his living room, Spencer smiled at the sight of Alex stood by his window, staring out at the street below.

"I hope you don't mind about the music," she commented, his head shaking. He didn't care about anything right now other than the woman in front of him. He had had the most amazing meal with Alex and now she stood at his window, looking incredibly beautiful. "Are you as nervous as I am?" she asked quietly.

"I think I'm probably more nervous," Spencer admitted, a small laugh leaving her lips. "You don't need to be nervous Alex," he whispered, her head shaking.

"Neither do you Spence," Alex responded, stepping forward before holding her hand out towards him. "Dance with me," Alex smiled, unable to stop herself from laughing gently when Reid stared at her in amazement. She wanted to dance with him?

"I can't dance Alex," he commented. "You really don't want to see me dance, you'll never come back. It's really embarrassing."

"I'm not going to grade you on it," Alex responded quickly before shaking her head and stepping closer to him. "You might even enjoy yourself," she whispered, her smile continuing to grow.

"I'm sure I would but I…" he began, falling silent when Alex stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms gently around his neck.

"Put your arms around me Spencer," Alex said quietly, the profiler slowly moving his arms around her body while looking straight at her, aware that his hands were shaking against her back. "And now we just dance together," she whispered, their bodies slowly moving in time to the music while they continued to watch one another. Slowly moving to rest her head against his chest, Alex smiled when Spencer's arms tightened around her, bringing her body closer to his. "Why am I not surprised that you're good at this as well?" she asked, Spencer laughing before he pressed a kiss into her hair and moved one of his hands away from the small of her back.

"Let me have your hand," he whispered to her, the brunette moving one of her hands from the back of his neck before he took hold of it in his and squeezed it gently. Swaying slowly to the music, Spencer smiled when Alex glanced up at him. "We're dancing," Spencer whispered, the brunette nodding as she moved her free hand to the back of his neck, her fingers brushing through his hair.

"We are," Alex repeated, her smile continuing to grow when they rested their foreheads against one another.

"I've never been on a proper date before," Spencer whispered quietly, their eyes closing while they continued to sway to the music. He hadn't admitted that over dinner. They had laughed together over dinner but being this close to her, having her body pressed against his, made him want to be more honest. He wanted to tell her the truth, he wanted her to understand why he was so nervous.

"I haven't had a first date in over twenty years," the brunette responded quietly. "I guess we're both allowed to be nervous," she admitted, the profiler murmuring in agreement as the hand on her back pushed her closer towards him. She could almost feel his heartbeat. "Spence, you know you said you liked me this morning," Alex whispered, suddenly becoming aware that they were starting to dance much slower.

"Yes," Spencer said quietly.

"Well, I like you too," Alex admitted, smiling gently when Reid stopped moving. "I like you because you're weird. I like that you slouch, and that your hair is too long. I like how your tie is always crooked," she continued, Spencer moving to look at her when she bit nervously into her lip. "I've always liked you Spence," Alex smiled, stopping when he leant forward and kissed her, the brunette deepening the kiss as their hold of one another tightened.

"Does this mean that you'll date me then?" Spencer asked breathlessly when they moved slightly away from one another.

"If you'll have me," Alex whispered, knowing the answer when Spencer kissed her again. "Spence," she laughed, the profiler smiling as she stared up at him. "This has been the most incredible evening," she whispered, Reid nodding in agreement before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"But…" he began quietly, the brunette smiling as she moved out of his arms.

"But I should go back to my hotel," she said quietly, Reid groaning before he moved his arms around her again, Alex's laughter radiating around the room. "If I don't leave now Spencer, I won't," Alex whispered, her head shaking when Reid pressed a kiss to her forehead, then her cheek, then on the corner of her lips. "Spencer," she warned lightly, laughing gently onto his lips when he began to kiss her again, her arms moving around his neck again.

"Yes Alex," Spencer whispered, the brunette shaking her head in frustration before she kissed him again, walking backwards as he continued to move towards her. Feeling her back hit the wall, Alex laughed as she ran her fingers through Spencer's hair, the profiler staring at her in silence. Resting her hand on his cheek, Alex leant forward to brush her lips against his once more, her smile growing when she felt Spencer's hand rest on her hip.

"Spencer," a voice called out, Spence groaning when he rested his forehead against Alex's briefly before stepping away. Breathing out, Alex turned away, her hands brushing down her dress while Spencer moved to turn the light on, immediately brightening the previously candle lit room. "Spencer," Diana called out, walking out of her bedroom as Spencer smiled at her.

"It's okay mom," Spencer whispered, moving towards her before resting his hand on her shoulder, his mother staring up at him. "Everything's okay," Spencer said quietly, leading her towards the couch before noticing that Alex was no longer in the room. Where had she gone?

"You're here," Diana whispered, her hand clinging on to her son's as Reid nodded slowly.

"I'm here mom," Reid repeated, smiling weakly when Diana held onto his hand tighter. "I'm not going anywhere," he smiled, falling silent when he heard footsteps down the corridor. Watching as his mother closed his eyes and relaxed back into the couch, Reid smiled weakly when Alex entered the living room with a tray.

"I wasn't sure how your mom likes her tea," Alex said quietly, resting the tray down on the table to reveal two mugs of tea, with the milk and sugar separate.

"Spencer," Diana said quietly when she opened her eyes and stared at the brunette. "Spencer who is this?" she asked, looking at her son before glancing at the other woman in the room. "Why is she in our home?"

"Mom this is Doctor Alex Blake. Alex is my mother Diana Reid," Spencer introduced quietly, Alex smiling at the other woman while Diana nodded.

"It's lovely to meet you Mrs Reid," Alex said quietly, glancing nervously at Spencer. This wasn't the ideal time to be meeting his mother in her opinion, especially considering only moments ago he had had her pressed against the wall and had been kissing her in the most incredible way.

"Mom, Alex is someone very special to me," Reid said quietly, leaning forward to make his mother's tea before passing the mug to her. "Alex and I are dating," he added, noting the surprise that covered his mother's face when she looked at her son before looking at the brunette.

"Then it's very nice to meet you too Doctor Blake," Diana replied, Reid smiling as Alex nervously stood in the middle of the room. "Will you sit down?" she asked, Alex's head shaking as she smiled at the two Reid's.

"I'm actually going to head home now, I have an early start," she lied, Spencer watching as she took her coat from the back of the armchair before collecting her flowers.

"Spencer, where are your manners? Show her out," Diana declared, Spencer nodding before he moved to stand, walking towards Alex while she pulled her coat on.

"Alex," Spencer whispered, her head shaking as she smiled up at him. Walking silently with her to the front door, Spencer smiled weakly when Alex turned to face him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise, your mom needs you and I have had you to myself all evening. She's not comfortable with me being here right now," Alex said quietly. "It has been the most incredible evening Spencer," she whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before stepping away to open the door. "Goodnight," Alex said quietly, stopping when Spencer moved towards her. "I think I'm a bad influence on you," Alex whispered before he kissed her again, his arm wrapping around her tightly before their lips separated, a small sigh leaving her lips.

"You're the best influence on me," Reid whispered, Alex laughing gently before he stepped back into his apartment. "Are you sure you won't stay for a cup of tea?"

"Not tonight Spence but maybe tomorrow, if your mom is feeling up to it, we could all go for lunch?" she suggested, the profiler nodding before Alex began to walk towards the stairs. "Goodnight Spence."

"Goodnight Alex," he smiled, not closing the door until she was out of site.

 **What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed this story- you're all awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for your lovely reviews again and to all those who favourited and followed, its lovely to know so many of you are enjoying this story.**

 **Apologies for the delay in updating- I had surgery last week so I've been a bit out of it over the last couple of days. However, another chapter is finally here!**

 **I decided to play around with this chapter so flashbacks are in italic.**

Shaking his head while he stood alone, staring at the grave of his colleague and friend, Spencer suddenly felt cold. Part of him still felt guilty. Guilty that he was still here, that he had been physically unscathed by Scratch while Stephen, a husband and father, had been killed. Stephen who had been new to the team, who hadn't even been targeted by Scratch, had been murdered while he had been at home. He should have been there. He should have been in one of the cars. It should have been him.

"Reid," Emily whispered, approaching the younger agent. "Spencer," she said quietly, resting her hand on his shoulder when he raised his head to look at her. "We're all going back to the Bureau now, do you want to come in the car with us?" the dark-haired woman asked. He hadn't arrived with them, although they had called to offer him a lift with the team, and she wasn't sure how he was going to get to the Bureau, especially since they had all agreed to meet there after the funeral.

"I'll meet you all there, I just need a minute," Spencer said quietly, Emily nodding before she walked away towards the car where the rest of the team were waiting. Glancing behind him a few moments later, Spencer watched the bureau car pull away before stepping away from Stephen's grave, looking down at the grass as he moved towards the car waiting for him. Walking towards the passenger door, Spencer smiled weakly when he climbed into the car and looked across at Alex, who was closing the book she had been reading. "I have to go the Bureau before we go to my apartment, is that okay?"

"That's fine Spence, we'll go wherever you need to go," Alex smiled gently, reaching over to take hold of his hand before squeezing it gently. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked quietly, his head shaking before he leant back in his seat and closed his eyes, sitting in silence while Alex continued to squeeze his hand.

"I should have been there Alex, I should have been with the team," Spencer whispered, his eyes remaining shut while Alex sighed and squeezed his hand tighter. She wanted to hold him, to tell him that everything would be okay but the car she had rented wasn't designed for her to comfort him. The only thing she could do was hold onto his hand while he sat on the opposite side of the vehicle to her.

"You did everything you could Spence, you haven't been reinstated yet," Alex said quietly, knowing that was of little comfort. "You saved Emily's life," she whispered, desperately trying to find something positive for Spencer to hold onto. "What can I do Spence?" she asked, her voice full of desperation as she tried to think of how she could help.

"Just be here," he whispered, grateful that she had agreed to come with him.

 _"Spencer, you are aware that your front door is wide open," Alex called out as she walked through his apartment, stopping when she reached his living room. His apartment looked in utter chaos. There were a couple of suitcases wide open on the couch as well as a pile of clothes thrown on the floor. "Spence?" Alex said again, smiling when he walked out of his mom's room with a pile of clothes in his hands._

 _"Hi," Spencer greeted, the brunette nodding as she took in his appearance. He was still dressed in his pyjamas, his dressing gown tied lightly around his body while his hair was all over the place. "Let me make some space," he said quickly, moving towards the couch before taking one of the suitcases off it and looking across at Alex._

 _"What's going on Spence?" Alex asked, stepping over the pile of clothes on the floor as she approached the profiler. "Spencer," she said again, her concern obvious. He had been so happy when she'd left the night before, he seemed like a completely different person now. "Spencer, talk to me, what's going on?" she asked, the concern obvious in her voice. Dropping the pile of clothes on top of the suitcase, Spencer shook his head before turning to face her, his arms wrapping around her body tightly._

 _"Emily called this morning," he admitted, a small sigh of realisation leaving her lips when she looked up at him. "Stephen's funeral is on Friday," Spencer whispered into her hair, keeping her close to him as she smiled sadly. They'd been waiting for that call, for someone to give them the date._

 _"What can I do?" Alex asked quietly._

 _"Could you drive me Alex? I don't want to travel with the rest of the team," Spencer asked quietly, the brunette nodding before she leant up and gently pressed a kiss to his lips, feeling his smile grow slightly against hers._

 _"Of course," Alex whispered against his lips. "I'll wait for you as well, I'll drive you home afterwards," she added, his head shaking as she watched him in confusion. Did he want her to just leave him at the funeral?_

 _"Mom and I are booked onto a flight to Vegas on Friday night, we're going to get a cab afterwards." he explained. Well that explained the suitcases._

 _"I'll drive you both to the airport Spence, I don't mind," Alex commented, his head shaking again. He couldn't ask her to do that as well. She was already doing so much. "Spence, I want to drive you to the airport," she insisted, unable to stop himself from smiling at her. "I want to be your embarrassing partner waving goodbye at the airport," Alex smiled, unable to stop herself from laughing with Spencer when he started to laugh at the idea, his head shaking._

 _"We're only packing her clothes now. We thought we might get some lunch afterwards, if you want to join us," Reid smiled, the brunette nodding before he leant forward and kissed her gently. "I thought you might have changed your mind," he said quietly against her lips._

 _"Why would I change my mind? I suggested going for lunch yesterday, that's why I'm here," she responded, the young profiler shrugging before he glanced down at his feet. "Spencer Reid, what's going on in that genius brain of yours?" Alex asked._

 _"Not many people understand…" he began._

 _"Don't finish that sentence Spence," Alex interrupted, Spencer falling silent when she shook her head at him. "For a genius, you can be really stupid sometimes," she declared, her eyebrows rising when Spencer's moved to speak before he stopped. "From what you've told me and what I heard from the team, your mom is an incredible woman and she's absolutely devoted to you, why wouldn't I want to meet her?" she asked._

 _"Because of the schizophrenia," he whispered, her head shaking before she leant up and pressed a kiss to his forehead._

 _"She's not well Spence, but that's not who she is. She's Diana Reid, lecturer in literature, and a woman who raised the most incredible man that I know completely on her own," Alex replied, staring up at him while he nodded, his smile continuing to grow. Leaning forward, the brunette gently brushed her lips against his, her fingers moving to brush against his cheeks. "I can't wait to meet her properly Spence, especially when I'm not pinned against a wall," she added, a laugh leaving Spencer's lips as he kissed her again, his body pressing against hers._

 _"You enjoyed it," Spencer whispered against her lips, her head nodding before they laughed together gently, feeling each other's breath against their faces. "I had a great time last night," he whispered, his eyes looking straight into hers as she nodded in agreement. Last night had been perfect. "You looked incredible," he said quietly._

 _"Don't I always?" she teased, biting into her bottom lip when Spencer began to turn red._

 _"Of course you do Alex, you're beautiful, you're always beautiful. I think you might be the most beautiful woman I know," he blurted out, stepping away from her slightly while she shook her head._

 _"Spencer, I was teasing," Alex admitted, noticing the look of relief that covered his face. "If we're being honest, I have to admit that you looked very handsome last night," Alex added, Spencer's face turning even more red while she stood in front of him. "Why don't I go and get us some lunch while you and your mom finish packing?" she asked, the profiler nodding while her smile grew._

 _"That sounds great."_

"Spencer," Alex said quietly, the profiler nodding when he snapped himself out of his memories and looked at her. "We're here," she smiled weakly, surprise covering his face when he glanced out of the window to see the Bureau. "You zoned out for a while," she commented, Spencer groaning as he ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't even noticed that she had started driving. "I didn't want you to be late," she admitted, trying to explain why she had driven him here without telling him.

"I don't want to go in," he whispered. He didn't want to face the team. He didn't want to think or talk about what had happened in prison or what had happened during his interrogation of Cat. Shaking his head at the thought of the woman who had orchestrated his mother's kidnap, who had planned to kill her, Spencer glanced across at the brunette before smiling weakly.

"I'll be right here Spencer. I'm not going anywhere, even if you're in there for hours," Alex responded quietly, her hand moving to rest against his cheek. "I can be up in the BAU offices in under five minutes. You need me, you call me," she stated quickly. She wasn't going to let him go through this alone. If he needed her, she was going to be there.

"Alex, thank you," Spencer whispered, leaning across to press a kiss to her cheek. "I don't deserve you," he admitted before climbing out of the car, surprise covering her face at his comment while she watched Spencer walk towards the building. She hated that he was struggling with this, she hated that he was upset and she couldn't do anything to help him other than drive him around and wait patiently. Part of her just wanted to hide away with him in his apartment and pretend that the rest of the world didn't exist. They had had such a wonderful evening together earlier in the week where he had been so happy, so like the Spencer she had known when she worked on the team. He had been a completely different person to the man who had just climbed out of the car. She hated that there was so much that she didn't know about the events, that she still didn't understand about what had happened to him and continued to haunt him.

 _"Breathe, she'll love you," Spencer smiled, standing in front of Alex in his small kitchen as the brunette continued to plate the food she had returned to his apartment with._

 _"I'm fine Spence, I'm absolutely fine," Alex stated, Spencer laughing gently before he stepped forward and pressed a kiss into her hair._

 _"You're humming Nas," the profiler stated, pressing another kiss to her head before stepping back, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She hadn't even noticed. "Come on, let's go and have our lunch," Spencer smiled, taking two plates as his smile continued to grow. "Alex, you've stood in front of serial killers without shaking but you're nervous about having lunch with my mom."_

 _"I know, it's ridiculous Spence but she's your mom and I don't want her to hate me," Alex admitted quickly, the profiler smiling at her before shaking his head. "I want you to be happy Spence and you won't be if your mom doesn't like me."_

 _"She's not going to hate you Alex. Come and meet her and you'll see," Spencer said quietly, the brunette nodding before she took her own plate and followed him out of the room. "Here you go mom," Spencer smiled, resting the plate of food in front of his mom as she smiled up at him._

 _"Thank you," Diana smiled before looking across at the brunette. "It's lovely to see you again Doctor Blake," Diana greeted, the brunette nodding._

 _"It's nice to see you too Mrs Reid," Alex responded before sitting down. "And it's Alex," she added, the older woman smiling when Spencer took a seat beside the brunette._

 _"So how did you meet my son?" Diana asked, Alex smiling when she looked across at Spencer._

 _"Spencer used to guest lecture with me when I taught here," Alex admitted, her focus remaining on the profiler. "He was always fantastic, although I think he always scared my students with how much he knew," she added quickly, returning her focus back to Diana while the older woman watched them. "We worked together in the BAU for two years before I moved to Boston," she added, not wanting to mention how Spencer was also the reason she had left the BAU._

 _"What do you lecture in?" Diana asked._

 _"Forensic linguistics," Alex answered, her smile continuing to grow when Spencer's hand moved to rest on hers._

 _"And how long have you two been together?" Diana questioned, watching her son move closer to Alex on the couch while the brunette looked down at their hands._

 _"Since I got out of jail," Spencer admitted quietly, the brunette glancing up at him as he continued to smile. "She was waiting for me mom when you went to get coffee with Penelope," he added, his mother nodding while Alex began to blush beside him._

 _"Are you still living in Boston?" Diana questioned, Spencer's head shaking at his mother's continued questions._

 _"I'm trying to sell my house, I want to move back here," Alex explained quietly, looking at Spencer briefly before turning to face his mother. "I'm going through a divorce at the moment," Alex admitted, Diana smiling weakly across at her. "James, my ex-husband, worked for Doctors without Borders throughout our marriage, he was just about to start when we got married. We decided to move to Boston together but in the end, we weren't happy together," she explained, wanting to be completely honest. She wasn't ashamed that she was getting divorced and she wasn't going to pretend that she hadn't been in a long-term relationship, a relationship that had created a child, in fear that Diana Reid wouldn't accept her._

 _"Spencer's father and I separated, sometimes it is the best decision," Diana commented, both women glancing across at the profiler while Spencer glanced down at his hand entwined with Alex's. "Have you ever seen a photo of Spencer as a child? He was such a clever boy," Diana stated, standing up quickly before she disappeared into her bedroom while Spencer groaned._

 _"Mom Alex doesn't need…"_

 _"I'd love to see a photograph of Spencer as a child Mrs Reid," Alex interrupted, her smile growing as Spencer glared across at her. "I'm sure you were an adorable child Spence," Alex smiled, his head shaking before he leant forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek._

 _"She likes you Alex," Spencer whispered in her ear before moving away from her, a groan leaving his lips when his mother re-entered the room with her scrapbook, already opened to a photograph of him as a young child._

 _"Here's Spencer on his first day of school," Diana began, passing the scrapbook to Alex while Spencer stood up._

 _"Mom, why don't you sit next to Alex? You're much better at telling the stories," he suggested, Diana nodding before she sat down beside the brunette. Moving to sit down in the seat previously occupied by his mother, Spencer watched silently as Alex and his mom began to go through the photographs, his smile continuing to grow as Diana explained the events behind each photograph while Alex laughed gently._

"Spence," JJ whispered, leading the profiler to one side of the conference room while the rest of the team started to talk together. "How's everything going?" she asked quietly, her smile growing when he began to blush to himself.

"Everything's fine JJ, everything's good," Spencer responded, glancing behind him to see that the rest of the team were still talking amongst themselves. "Mom and I are going to Vegas tonight, she's moving back," he explained, the blonde smiling before he glanced down at his feet.

"How do you feel about that?" JJ asked, the profiler looking up at her before nodding.

"Good," Spencer smiled. "It's where she wants to be, she wants to be back home and I was wrong to take her away," he explained, JJ nodding as they looked at each other.

"And how was the date?" JJ asked quietly, Spencer laughing gently when he glanced over his shoulder at everyone. He didn't want everyone to know yet. He didn't want his date to be the team gossip.

"The date was fantastic JJ," Spencer admitted, remembering the sight of Alex in the black dress that had clung perfectly to her figure and the way her body had felt against his when they had danced in the middle of his living room. "It was perfect. She's perfect," Reid continued before falling silent.

"I'm happy for you Spence, you deserve this more than anyone I know," JJ smiled, stepping forward to hug him while his smile continued to grow. "So when do we get to meet her Spencer? She sounds incredible and Henry hasn't stopped talking about how Uncle Spence has a girlfriend," she commented, moving away from him as Spencer smiled at her.

"Soon," the profiler responded before shaking his head and glancing out of the window. "Speaking of Henry," Reid commented happily, JJ following his glance to see Will standing down by her desk with Henry and Michael, the oldest of her two boys waving up at them. "I need to get going," Reid admitted, JJ nodding as they turned to face the rest of the team.

"I've got to go, I have a flight to Vegas to catch," Spencer said quietly, smiling when Penelope hugged him gently while the rest of the team smiled at him. "I'll see you all soon," he smiled, moving towards the door while JJ hugged Emily and Penelope before joining him.

"Uncle Spence," Henry called out, running up the stairs before his arms wrapped tightly around Spencer's leg, the profiler laughing while JJ shook her head at her son. "Uncle Spence, can we have a Doctor Who sleepover soon?" he asked, staring up at the Spencer. "Like we used to do with Auntie Penelope and Jack?"

"Of course we can Henry," Spencer answered, kneeling down in front of the boy as Will approached with Michael. "I have to go away from a few days first but when I come back, I'll talk to your mom and we'll arrange something," he smiled, glancing up at JJ who nodded at him before taking Michael into his arms. "Hi Will," Spencer greeted as he stood, the police officer smiling at him when they moved towards the exit together. "What are you going to do with your six weeks off?"

"Six weeks?" Will asked in amazement, glancing across at his wife to find her nodding. "Six weeks," he repeated before shaking his head. "Wow, six weeks."

"Yes Will, six weeks," JJ laughed, pressing a kiss into Michael's hair while Henry looked up at her.

"You don't have to work for six weeks mommy?" Henry asked, JJ's head shaking as she smiled at her son.

"No Henry, I'm going to be at home," JJ admitted, the three adults laughing when Henry began to jump and cheer. "Maybe we'll try to go on a proper holiday," she suggested, glancing across at Will before they stepped into the lift, Henry still cheering in excitement. "What about you Spence? What are you going to do?"

"I might ask A…" he began before falling silent, the blonde smiling across at him. "I'll have to try and get reinstated, I'm waiting to hear which therapist they'll send me to," Spencer admitted, falling silent when the doors to the elevator opened again and they all stepped out and moved towards the car park.

"Send your mom our love Spence," JJ smiled, moving Michael onto her other lip as the profiler nodded and moved to hug her briefly. "Text me when you get to Vegas, let me know how it all goes," she whispered to him, Spencer nodding before they stepped away from one another, Reid quickly moving to shake Will's hand before kneeling in front of Henry.

"I'll see you soon Henry," Reid smiled, the boy nodding before he wrapped his arms tightly around Reid's neck.

"Promise you will call mom about our Doctor Who sleepover when you come home Uncle Spence," Henry said quickly, Spencer laughing before he nodded quickly.

"I promise Henry, we'll have our Doctor Who sleepover," Spencer swore before Henry unwrapped his arms from Spencer's neck and moved to stand beside Will as Spencer stood up. "I'll see you all soon," the profiler smiled, JJ nodding before she started to walk towards her car with the rest of her family. Walking towards the car, Spencer smiled at the sight of Alex working on her crossword puzzle, her hair pulled back from her face while she concentrated. Opening the driver's door of the car, the profiler smiled when Alex stared up at him in shock.

"Spencer?" Alex asked, climbing out of the car to stand in front of him. "Spencer?" she asked again, smiling when he leant forward and kissed her gently, her back resting against the car. "What was that for?"

"I have six weeks off Alex," he admitted, smiling at the brunette while she nodded slowly. "I'll have to complete some things to get reinstated, go to therapy as usual, but I'd like to spend it with you Alex, if you're free and want to spend it with me," Spencer said nervously, Alex laughing gently before she nodded and leant forward to kiss him gently.

"I'd love to spend it with you Spence," Alex whispered, his arm wrapping around her body before she kissed him again. "We need to get going Spence, your mom will be waiting for us and I don't want you to miss your flight," she admitted, the profiler nodding before he stepped away, the brunette climbing back into the car while Spencer walked around to join her in the vehicle. Smiling across at Alex as she turned to look at him, the profiler reached across to find Alex's hand before squeezing it gently. "You'll be bored after two weeks of leave."

"Not if you're with me," Spencer stated, Alex's head shaking as the profiler turned to face her.

"That was the cheesiest thing you have ever said Spence Reid," the brunette laughed gently, starting the car with a large grin on her face while Spencer smiled at her and relaxed back in his seat, watching her in amazement when she began to drive. "How is everyone?" Alex asked.

"They're as good as they can be considering we buried a colleague today," Spencer said quietly, Alex nodding to herself. "Henry, however, is very excited about it. He gets six weeks with his mom and he really wants a Doctor Who sleepover as soon as I get back from Vegas."

"Doctor Who sleepover?" Alex asked.

"We sit and make our way through all of the episodes, eat a lot of pizza although we don't tell JJ that bit, and then he sleeps over. Garcia usually joins us and Jack used to come too," Spencer explained, watching Alex's smile grow. "Maybe you could join us Alex," the profiler suggested, a small laugh leaving Alex's lips before she nodded.

"Only if Henry doesn't mind me interrupting his time with you and Garcia," Alex responded, glancing across at him when they stopped at the traffic lights.

"Thank you for today Alex," Spencer said quietly, the brunette shaking her head at him.

"You don't need to thank me for anything, I wanted to do this," Alex responded, her focus returning to driving when the lights changed.

"You've spent the entire day sat in a car," Spencer commented. He couldn't imagine a more boring way to spend the day than driving someone from one place to another and just waiting for them.

"And I'd do it again," the brunette stated. "For you Spence, I'd do it all over again."

 _Lying on his side on the couch, Spencer smiled as he reached out and brushed his fingers across Alex's cheek, the brunette watching him in silence. She was lying on her side as well, her back resting against the back of the couch while her fingers ran through his hair, her smile continuing to grow when Spencer moved his hand to rest on the small of her back._

 _"I think your mom is fantastic Spence," Alex admitted, the profiler beaming as he nodded. No one had ever said that to him before. He had watched his mother and Alex laugh at old photographs before they started to discuss their mutual love of literature and their shared interest, Spencer Reid. He had almost fled the room in embarrassment when his mother began to raise her concerns over his health, often commenting throughout the afternoon that he was too skinny from all the coffee, and how she was amazed he'd managed to find someone willing to date him while his hair was that long. "And I think you were an adorable child too," she added, laughing gently when Spencer groaned and moved slightly, desperately trying to hide the embarrassment that had started to cover his face. "You're so easy to embarrass," Alex laughed, leaning forward to kiss him gently as he groaned against her lips, his hands moved to rest to the small of her back, bringing her body closer to his._

 _"I'm an FBI agent, I don't get embarrassed," Spencer stated, trying to look stern while Alex shook her head, her fingers continuing to brush against his beard._

 _"Of course you don't, Mr FBI agent," Alex teased, gently pressing a kiss to his cheek while Spencer's hand slid under her shirt, resting against her bare skin. "You don't get embarrassed at all," she joked against his skin, moving to press a gentle kiss against his neck while the profiler groaned. "You're too big and tough to blush so I must be seeing things right now," she whispered, glancing up at him while his head shook. Watching as Spencer leant over her, Alex laughed gently when her back rested against the cushions of his couch, the profiler moving over her before he kissed her, the brunette's arms moving around his neck as they deepened the kiss._

 _"Stay this evening," Spencer whispered against her lips when they separated slightly, the brunette staring up at him. "There's a bottle of wine somewhere, we could watch a film together," he suggested, her fingers playing with his hair. He looked so happy. Although he had laughed and smiled most of the time they had been together, his eyes had always shown how lost he'd actually felt. In this moment, with his body pressed against hers and his fingers resting against her hip, the brunette could only see happiness. She couldn't not stay._

 _"Trying to get me to stay the night when you haven't asked me out on a second date yet," Alex teased, trying not to laugh when she saw the shock that covered his face. "People might talk," the brunette said quietly, desperately attempting not to laugh when the profiler began to shake his head._

 _"I didn't mean it like that… I wouldn't… I'm…" he blurted out nervously, falling silent when Alex began to laugh. "Alex," he warned, his fingers tickling her side as she rested her head against his chest, her laughter becoming louder while Spencer shook his head and began to laugh along with her. "You're a nightmare," he smiled into her hair, the brunette nodding when her laughter began to calm._

 _"I couldn't resist, I'm sorry," Alex whispered._

 _"You can be really annoying sometimes Alex Blake," Spencer whispered, a gentle laugh leaving her lips before she nodded and moved to sit up, the profiler sitting up on the edge of the couch._

 _"But you like me Spencer," Alex smirked, Spencer's head shaking._

 _"I'm reconsidering," Spencer commented, a laugh leaving Alex's lips before she climbed off the couch and stood in front of him, her hand out towards him. "Alex," he said quietly, glancing up at the brunette as she smiled._

 _"You pick a film Spence, I'll try and find the wine," she suggested, Spencer nodding before she leant down and kissed him gently, her fingers brushing against his cheek while his arms moved around her hips._

 _"You're staying then?"_

 _"I'm staying."_

Lifting one of Diana's suitcases of the back of the car, Spencer quickly rested it on top of the other cases on the trolley Alex had collected. Smiling up at the brunette, Spencer quickly closed the trunk of the car before stepping toward her. His mother was still sat in the back of the car and they'd agreed that they would say goodbye before he went into the airport with his mom. Neither one of them wanted to make the experience stressful for Diana and Spencer had wanted to make sure that Alex got away at a sensible time.

"I guess I'll see you soon then," Alex said quietly, the profiler nodding before smiling weakly. "You'll text me when you land," she whispered, her fingers playing nervously with his black suit jacket while Spencer watched her, his fingers reaching up to brush her dark hair away from her face.

"I'll text you when we land," he promised, the brunette nodding before she stepped closer to him, his arms wrapping around her to hug her. "What are you going to do?" he asked quietly, looking at her as she shrugged. She hadn't thought about what she was going to do while he was away. She had come back for him. Now he was going to be in Vegas and she would be here, with no Reid.

"I might call Dave, if that's okay with you," Alex admitted. She had always been close to Dave before and during her time on the team.

"He's your friend Alex, of course it's okay with me," Spencer smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he glanced across at the car. "Do you remember when you stayed over the other night?" Spencer asked quietly, the brunette nodding as she looked up at him. "You commented that I hadn't asked you out on a second date."

"I was only joking Spence," she whispered, moving her arms around his neck while he shook his head at her.

"Alex Blake, I'd really like to go on another date with you," the profiler smiled, Alex blushing before she leant up and kissed him. "Dinner, a movie, dancing, whatever you want to do, we'll do it," Spencer whispered against her lips, the brunette laughing before she kissed him gently. "Is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a yes Spence," Alex laughed, her smile continuing to grow when the profiler beamed at her. There was that happiness in his eyes again, the sadness disappearing once again like the other night. "You should get going," Alex admitted quietly, unable to stop herself from smiling when he groaned.

"I know," he whispered, smiling at her before he moved towards the car, helping his mom out of the vehicle while Alex stood beside the trolley. "Are you ready to go mom?" Spencer asked, the older woman nodding as Alex smiled across at her.

"Goodbye Diana," Alex said quietly when Spencer led his mom towards her.

"Goodbye Alex, it was lovely to meet you," Diana responded, the brunette nodding.

"It was lovely to meet you too, thank you for showing me all those photos of Spencer," Alex added, the older woman nodding. Walking over to the trolley, Spencer took hold of the handle before turning to face Alex while his mother began to button up her jacket. "You'll text me when you get there Spence," she whispered.

"I will, you'll be the first person I text, then JJ," Spencer stated, the brunette nodding before she kissed his cheek gently and stepped away, Diana moving to stand beside her son.

"Have a good flight," Alex smiled.

"I'm sure we will," Spencer responded before looking across at his mother. "Are you ready?" he asked, Diana nodding before they began to walk away, the profiler looking back once at Alex as she watched beside the car. Waving at him, Alex remained beside the vehicle until the two Reid's had entered the airport and disappeared from sight. Moving towards the driver's seat, Alex climbed in before breathing out, glancing back at the airport entrance.

He was gone.

 _Standing in front of his bathroom mirror, Alex smiled weakly at herself as she brushed her fingers through her hair. She was nervous and because of that, she felt ridiculous. She'd stayed with him before, she had slept beside him but this time felt different. He'd asked her to stay this time, he'd even offered her a pair of sweats and a top to wear rather than her sleeping in the clothes she'd arrived in. Breathing out, Alex picked up her folded clothes before approaching the door and unlocking it, a small smile covering her face when she looked out at Spencer._

 _"Oh Spencer," she whispered, her head shaking at the sight of the profiler fast asleep, his head buried in his pillow while his side of the duvet had been folded over to the other side, revealing his pyjama clad body. Resting her clothes on the nearby chair, Alex slowly approached his bed before covering him with the duvet, her head shaking as he turned slowly in his sleep. He was doing too much, even if he didn't realise it. Switching the beside lamp on before she climbed into the bed, Alex sighed as the duvet covered her body and she turned onto her side to face him. "Spencer," she said quietly, a small moan leaving the profiler's lips although he remained fast asleep beside her. "I really like you Spencer Reid," Alex admitted, leaning across the bed to press a kiss to his cheek before resting her hand on his chest and closing her eyes._

 _She couldn't imagine life without Spencer Reid now._

 **Please let me know what you think and thank you again for all the reviews, favourites and follows.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you again for your lovely reviews again. It's so lovely to read them and to know that you're enjoying this. I'm doing fine now after my surgery.**

"Look who it is, Doctor Alex Blake," Dave beamed, holding the door open as the brunette laughed and stepped forwards, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Looking beautiful as ever," he stated when they stepped away from one another, Alex's head shaking as the profiler rested his hand on her back and led her into his house, closing the door behind them.

"You always know how to charm the ladies Dave," Alex responded, their laughter echoing around the property as they moved towards his living room. "I'm sure this place gets larger every time I visit," she commented, glancing around the building while Dave shook his head and stopped beside the couch, indicating for her to sit down.

"I haven't extended it but it is rather big for one man," Dave commented, smiling down at Alex when she sat down in the corner of the couch and smiled. "Drink?" he asked, the brunette nodding before he walked out of the room, her head shaking as she relaxed back into the corner of his couch. Dave always had the ability to make her laugh, right from the first time they had met at the bureau. Feeling her phone vibrate in her purse, Alex quickly removed it before glancing down at the caller ID, her smile growing at Spencer's name.

"Spence hi," Alex said quietly when she answered, glancing around to see whether David was nearby.

"Hey," Spencer replied, the brunette smiling. She hadn't heard his voice since they had said goodbye at the airport. Although she received a text from when he had landed, as promised, and he had texted her a lot over the last couple of days, he had been too busy trying to arrange everything for his mom to speak on the phone. "I know you're going to Dave's later so I thought I'd call. Mom's asleep and I don't have any paperwork to fill out," he admitted, her head shaking as she shut her eyes.

"I'm already at Dave's," Alex whispered, the younger man groaning.

"Damn, I thought I'd actually to talk to you this evening," Spencer moaned, a small laugh leaving her lips at his frustration.

"It's okay, he's getting drinks at the moment so I have a couple of minutes," the brunette commented, unable to stop herself from glancing over her shoulder. She felt ridiculous, continually checking to see whether Dave was going to enter the room and somehow find out who was on the phone. "How's your mom doing?" she asked.

"She's good Alex, although today hasn't been a particularly good day so far," Spencer admitted before sighing. "The nurses sedated her earlier, that's partially why she's asleep," the Doctor said quietly, the sadness in his voice becoming obvious.

"What's going on Spencer?" Alex questioned quietly, her concern extremely obvious. She was worried. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"It's nothing. She was just confused, I think she was thinking back to when Lyndsey kidnapped her," Spencer whispered, Alex's head shaking when she realised Diana had done something to her son.

"What happened Spence? Please talk to me," Alex asked again, trying to keep her voice low so Dave didn't hear her although she could hear his footsteps in the distance.

"I was trying to calm her down and she accidentally hit me," he said, a small groan leaving her lips as she took in how casual he sounded when admitting that his mother had accidentally struck him. She hated that he was going through this. "It was an accident but it was a pretty strong hit," he whispered. "I've spent the last hour with ice on my face."

"Spencer," Alex sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to apologise for and neither does my mom. It was an accident, things happen sometimes," Spencer said quietly, Alex hating how relaxed he sounded about this although there was nothing they could do. "It would be better if you were here though, I miss you," Spencer whispered, a small smile decorating her face at his comment.

"I miss you too," Alex responded quietly.

"Have you decided where you'd like to go for our date?" Spencer asked, a laugh leaving Alex's lips as she shook her head again.

"You're the one who asked me on a date, you should be planning it," Alex smiled, falling silent when she heard Dave's footsteps get louder before he entered the living room with two glasses of whiskey.

"I just want to take you somewhere that you'd like," Spencer whispered, Alex smiling at Dave as she took the glass of whiskey from him.

"I'll love anywhere you choose but I really have to go now," Alex admitted, Dave's head shaking as he sat down.

"You don't need to hang up Alex, I can wait," Dave whispered happily, Alex's head shaking when she smiled across at him, Spencer groaning down the phone in frustration.

"Can I call you tonight?" Spencer asked quietly.

"Yes, I'll text you when I'm leaving but I really do need to go now," Alex said quickly, reminding herself over and over again not to say his name.

"I'll talk to you later then, I miss you," Spencer whispered, the brunette glancing down at her glass of whiskey in a desperate attempt to hide her blushing. "I even miss your snoring," he laughed, surprise covering Alex's face before she shook her head and laughed gently.

"I miss you too," Alex responded quietly, aware that her cheeks were becoming more red. "Goodbye," Alex added, the profiler repeating it to her before she hung up and slipped her phone back into her purse. "Sorry about that Dave," Alex said quietly, looking at Dave as he shook his head and smiled at her, the brunette's head shaking. Now she was about to be interrogated. She could see it in his eyes.

"So…" Dave began quietly, the brunette's head shaking before she took a sip of her drink.

"So," Alex repeated, Dave smiling before she sighed.

"When did you and James…?" he began before falling silent. She knew it was awkward for people to ask the question. Divorce was always associated with something bad. Her divorce wasn't something bad, it just marked the ending of a part of her life, a part of her life that had been wonderful and loving but was no longer happy.

"Four months ago," Alex stated, unable to stop herself from smiling at her friend. They had both been relieved at their amicable decision to divorce. "We weren't happy living together anymore and he met someone," she explained quietly, noticing the nervous look that covered Dave's face at the mention of another person. "And then I met someone. Well, I realised there was someone that I really liked."

"If I hadn't just heard you on the phone, I would think you were talking about me," Dave teased, Alex's head shaking again as she laughed gently. They had always teased one another and there had always been harmless flirtation in their friendship. "So, tell me about this man that I've taken you away from this evening," the profiler smiled, laughing lightly when Alex began to blush again.

"You'd like him Dave," Alex smirked, aware of how close Spencer and Dave had become. "He's funny, smart, he never fails to make me laugh and he's kind," the brunette admitted, Dave nodding along before they both took a sip of their drinks.

"What does he do?" Dave asked, taking in the smile that covered Alex's face. He had never seen her look so happy or so beautiful.

"He's a Doctor," Alex responded, desperately trying to remain honest without giving Dave too much information that he would guess straight away.

"You have a type," Dave teased, Alex nodding before shaking her head.

"He's not a medical doctor this time," Alex smiled. She had always found intelligent men attractive. "He's an academic, an incredible academic," she whispered, remembering the numerous times she had sat in the corner of her lectures listening to Spencer's lecturers while admiring how intelligent he was and, if she was honest now, how attractive he was in his own nervous way.

"When will I get to meet him then?" Dave asked, surprise covering his face when Alex drained the rest of her drink before looking at him.

"Soon. He's out of town at the moment and I don't want to scare him off by introducing him to the famous SSA David Rossi," she teased, "What about you? Anyone special in your life?" Alex asked, the profiler smiling as he stood up and rested his glass down on the side before walking over to his bookcase. "Dave?" she said quietly, turning to face him as he took a frame of the case before smiling at her.

"There's only one very special woman in my life at the moment," David admitted, passing the frame over to Alex as she took it and stared down at the image of the young woman beaming.

"She's beautiful Dave," Alex commented, looking up at her friend.

"She's my daughter," Dave smiled. "Joy," he added, sitting down on the couch while Alex's smile grew. "The second wife," he added, Alex nodding slowly as she continued to stare down at the photograph of the young woman. "She's a journalist, an incredible journalist," he beamed proudly, Alex smiling up at him as she took in his obvious pride. "I have a grandson too, Kai."

"Have you got a photograph of him Dave?" Alex asked. She could see the pride in his face when he mentioned his grandson. Spencer had mentioned once that Dave had learnt that he had a daughter but she had never seen a photograph and Spencer had never commented on a grandson during their conversations.

"Of course, I do, I have photos of them everywhere," he admitted, Alex laughing gently when he stood up again and returned the photograph to its original place before taking hold of another one and bringing it over. "Here we are," he smiled, Alex glancing down at the image of Dave beside his daughter with a young boy perched on his lap.

"You look happy," Alex commented, the profiler nodding as he looked at his family photograph. "I've only been gone a couple of years and your families have all grown. JJ has her two boys, Morgan has a son, you have a daughter and a grandson," Alex smiled, Dave nodding as he shook his head.

"We're all starting to grow up," Dave shrugged, Alex laughing gently before sighing. "Well not all of us. Garcia is still as crazy as ever, Emily is becoming a workaholic like Hotch was, and Reid is…" he began before falling silent and shaking his head. "Reid has had an awful few months," Dave whispered, shaking his head in frustration before looking at the other woman. "Has he talked to you…" he began.

"I know he was arrested, that he was in jail, that they kidnapped his mom," Alex said quietly, the profiler nodding before sighing and opening his mouth to speak. "I don't want you to tell me anything about it Dave," the brunette stated, surprising Dave when she looked across at him, a look of utter determination covering her face. "Spencer will tell me himself if and when he's ready and I want to hear it from him, no-one else," she declared, the man nodding before he smiled across at her, taking in the sadness that decorated her face.

"Have you been to see him yet?" Dave asked, the brunette nodding slowly. Discussing Spencer only made her think about the fact that he was in Vegas, with an ice pack to his face, without her. "How did you find him?"

"Worried about the team, worried about his mom," she commented before shaking her head. What else could she say without giving away the fact that she had spent three nights sleeping beside Spencer, that she had danced his living room with him and had made out with him against his living room wall? "He was also unimpressed at being called an ass clown," she added, Rossi laughing loudly at the comment.

"It describes the pair of them really well," Rossi shrugged, Alex's head shaking while he stood up and looked at their empty glasses. "I'll go and get the bottle," he declared, the brunette nodding before he left the room, a large smile decorating her face. She'd missed Dave. Other than Spencer, for entirely different reasons, she had missed Dave the most. They had been friends for so long and had always worked well together. She had also missed his expensive drinks cabinet.

"He's always had a soft spot for you Alex," Dave commented when he re-entered the room with the bottle moments later, Alex's eyebrows rising while he nodded at her. "Reid, I mean," he added, Alex laughing gently as she shook her head at him.

"That's the whiskey talking," Alex responded, Dave smiling when he refilled their glasses and put the bottle down.

"It's the man talking," Dave commented, returning to his seat while Alex glanced down at her drink. "He took a bullet to the neck for you Alex," the profiler stated, Alex sighing when she looked up at him. She was more than aware that Spencer had pushed her out of the line of a bullet and had taken it to his neck. She had been the one who had pressed her hand against the wound in desperation and felt the warmth of his blood against her hand. "Not many men would do that."

"He'd have done that for anyone, he would have done it for you Dave," the brunette responded, her hands clutching around the cold glass in a desperate attempt to forget the feeling of his blood between her fingers. "Spence would help anyone who was in trouble, look at everything he's done."

"You were the person he wanted by his side when everything happened with Maeve," Dave stated, a sigh leaving her lips as she remembered how lost he had been, how desperate he had been for their help. She had been the one he'd gone too to ask for a drive to the phone box, he had asked for her to help him. She had always been the one to help him and now he was on his own, in Vegas, after being hit by his mother. "And when he found out you were joining the team, he just couldn't get the smile off his face for weeks." Had Spencer really felt something for her for that long? Biting into her bottom lip for a moment, Alex shook her head before glancing across at her friend.

"I need to call someone Dave," Alex said quickly, pulling her phone out of her bag before scrolling to find his number. "I'm really sorry, do you mind? I wouldn't normally do this," she asked, the profiler shaking his head at her. "It'll be a quick call, I promise," she added, Dave laughing gently as he stood up and rested his hand on her shoulder briefly.

"Why don't I make us something to eat? Treat you to a David Rossi special," he suggested, Alex smiling up at him while she nodded. "Take as long as you need Alex."

"Thanks Dave, you're wonderful," Alex responded, reaching across to rest her glass on the table.

"I know I am Alex," Dave declared, walking out of the room as the brunette dialled Spencer's number and held the phone to her ear.

"Alex," Spencer answered, Alex breathing out the breath she had been holding when she heard his voice. "You can't have left already, you can't have even started a second drink," Reid observed, a small laugh leaving Alex's lips as she brushed away tears that she hadn't even realised had fallen down her cheeks. "Alex?" the profiler asked.

"How long have you had feelings for me Spence?" Alex asked, surprised when the question left her lips. She'd desperately wanted to talk to him and Dave's comments had wormed their way into her head.

"Alex," Spencer responded, the surprise obvious in his voice. Shaking her head, Alex glanced down at her lap before sighing to herself.

"How long?" the brunette questioned, trying desperately to sound calm.

"Since you shouted at that student during my first guest lecture because he kept laughing," Spencer stated, shock covering Alex's face. That long. He had had feelings for her for that long. "We went for a coffee afterwards," he continued, Alex smiling weakly as the memory came back to her. Spencer had been so shy during his first lecture. He kept tripping up on what he was saying and she had furiously turned around and shouted at one of her students for laughing at him. "You kept apologising for him and I told you…"

"You told me not to apologise because you were used to it," Alex responded, her head shaking again as she closed her eyes. She had never hated a student before until that afternoon. The statement Spencer had made over their shared coffee had been so casual that she had been forced to imagine the young boy bullied by everyone because of how intelligent he was and she had loathed her student for laughing at him then, when he was an adult. "Your lecture was great Spence," Alex whispered.

"My lecture was awful," Spencer laughed, her smile growing. It hadn't been one of his finest lectures but it had been his first with her class and with her. "I was nervous."

"You had no reason to be nervous Spence," Alex responded, Spencer's laugh ringing down the phone.

"I was nervous because I'd never met you before and I walked into this lecture room and found this incredibly beautiful and intelligent woman waiting to meet me," Spencer declared, her eyes rolling at his statement. She couldn't believe that Spencer had had feelings for her since their very first meeting, years ago and long before she'd even joined the team. "You blushed when I said I'd read your book," he smiled, her head nodding slowly as she remembered how surprised she'd been to learn that someone had actually read her book without her forcing them to.

"Not many people have read my book for fun," Alex shrugged before sighing. "I miss you Spencer," Alex whispered to him after a few moments, staring down at her hand. She could almost feel the blood again, feel that warmth against her fingers from her desperate attempt to keep Spencer alive. "I should be there with you, I should be holding ice to your face Spence. I want to be there with you," Alex said quickly, unable to stop herself from smiling when Spencer laughed.

"You don't need to worry about me Alex; the ice is gone and there isn't even a bruise. I'm completely fine," Spencer responded, her head shaking at him. A bruise shouldn't even be something she had to worry about. Laughing at her ridiculous thought process, Alex brushed her hand through her hair nervously before sighing. "What's going on Alex? Talk to me, something's the matter."

"I'm sat on David Rossi's couch drinking his very expensive whiskey while he's making dinner and all I can think about is how you're alone in Vegas and how I should be there with you. I want to be there with you," Alex admitted, her smile continuing to grow when she glanced around the room, stopping when she looked at a bookcase. Standing, Alex slowly moved towards the bookcase to look at a photograph of the team, with her positioned beside Spencer, his arm wrapped around her as they smiled at the photographer. "Spence, I was married for years, I was in a long-distance relationship for most of it and that was completely fine, it was wonderful in its own way. I didn't really mind being on my own but with you…" she began before laughing gently. "You make me feel something that I haven't felt in years, if ever, and all I want to do is get the first flight to Vegas to be with you."

"Alex," Spencer said quietly. "I'm going to get a flight home tomorrow, moms settled here and there's no reason for me to stay any longer," he declared, Alex's fingers brushing across the photograph of Spencer. "So why don't I pick you up from your hotel tomorrow night and we could go for some dinner together?" the profiler suggested.

"I'd love that Spencer," Alex admitted, laughing gently when David started to sing from the direction of the kitchen. "I'd really love that Spence," the brunette whispered, returning to the couch before slipping her heels off and curling her legs up underneath her body while she sat down. "Have you really had feelings for me for that long?"

"Alex," Spencer laughed gently, her smile growing gently while Dave's singing became louder. "The day we met you were wearing a red blouse and a black skirt, you spilt some coffee down the shirt and moaned because you'd washed it the night before and you weren't normally clumsy," Spencer stated, a small laugh leaving her lips before she shook her head. She couldn't even remember what she had worn on that day although the situation now seemed unbelievably familiar, like it had happened only the day before.

"I clearly made an impression," Alex smirked.

"A very good impression," Spencer responded, her smile continuing to grow. "Enjoy the rest of your evening with Dave, drink a lot of his very expensive whiskey, and I will see you tomorrow evening Alex," he stated down the phone, Alex almost feeling his happiness just from his voice.

"I'll see you at dinner tomorrow Spence," Alex smiled, hanging the phone up before she heard someone clear their voice behind her, her body tensing in realisation that she'd been overheard.

"Spence?" Dave asked, the brunette turning slowly while Dave crossed his arms, amusement covering his face.

 **Thank you again to all those who review, follow and favourite this story- I really appreciate it.**

 **Let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll try and update soon if you want more.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry for the delay in updating. All of a sudden life suddenly became very chaotic with work and life in general. However, here is an update and I hope you enjoy it! It's slightly different to what I was originally intending to write but hopefully you'll like it.**

He was drenched.

Glancing down at his jacket as he walked down the street, Spencer groaned at how his clothes now stuck to his body. His flight had been delayed by over an hour and Spencer had been running late so had forgotten to throw on a better jacket when he'd left his apartment for Alex's hotel. Approaching the hotel, Spencer pulled his phone out of his pocket before dialling her number, glancing up at the building that was looming ahead of him.

"Hi Spence," Alex answered, his smile growing at the familiar voice down the line. He didn't care about the damp clothes or the pouring rain when Alex spook. Just knowing that she was inside the building in front of him, that she was only a brief walk away made him forget the appalling weather that was currently destroying all of his earlier plans. "I haven't finished getting ready yet, why don't you come up?" she asked before he could return the greeting.

"Are you sure? I don't mind waiting Alex," Spencer answered quietly, moving closer to the door to shelter slightly underneath the building.

"I'm the one who is running late Spence and it's raining, come upstairs," Alex laughed gently before telling him her room number and putting the phone down, Spencer's head shaking as he slid his phone back into his pocket and stepped inside the hotel. Walking across the lobby of the hotel, Spencer was aware that he was dripping on the floor, his fingers reaching out to hit the button for the elevator as he glanced around. He had to admit he was starting to feel the cold as the dampness continued to sink through his jacket and shirt. Stepping inside the elevator, Spencer ran his fingers nervously through his hair as it began to move. He knew he looked a mess. He hadn't considered the weather at all in his quick attempt to get dressed after arriving late at his apartment. He just thrown on what he could find and hoped that it matched, aware that the tie had done up on his way out of his apartment building was not at all straight. Shaking his head, Spencer stepped out when the doors opened and followed the directions towards Alex's room. He should have bought flowers or wine or something. Something that would be slightly impressive compared to just him, a damp profiler who she would answer the door to in a matter of moments. Finding her hotel room, Spencer breathed out slowly before knocking gently on the door, his hands moving to straighten his jacket as he waited for an answer.

"Just coming," Alex called out from the other side of the door, Spencer nodding to himself as he took in the familiarity of her voice. He'd always loved Alex's voice. He had sat in the back of her lectures and happily listened to her teach topics he knew well. Even when she had worked with the team, he had found himself drawn to her when she discussed the unsub they were looking for. Hearing the door creak open, Spencer smiled as Alex peered around the open door, a large smile on her face until she looked him up and down and took in how wet he was. "Spence you're soaked," Alex stated, opening the door further while he shrugged, shock covering his face when he took in her appearance. She was dressed in a black bathrobe that stopped mid-thigh, revealing her perfect legs, while the top of the bathrobe was slightly open revealing the black lace of her bra. "Spence," Alex said quietly, glancing at the profiler as he looked up at her and nodded. "Everything okay?"

"Yes…Yes everything's fine, everything's good, just wow," he stuttered, her head shaking when she stepped towards him and rested her hand on his chest, taking in how cold he was and how damp his shirt was. "You're just wow…" he began, falling silent when Alex leant up and kissed him gently, her arms wrapping around his neck while his arms wrapping around her waist, feeling the softness of the bathrobe against his skin.

"You're freezing," Alex whispered against his lips, the profiler laughing gently at her statement. Stepping away from Spencer silently, Alex took hold of his hand before leading him into her hotel room, the younger man closing the hotel door behind him as he glanced around the room. He could see that Alex had settled in. The desk in the corner was covered in papers, her laptop resting on top of them while her clothes hung in the open wardrobe. "Take your shift off Spence," the brunette ordered, surprise covering his face at the statement.

"My shirt?" he asked quietly, glancing down at the damp shirt that clung to him. She wanted him to take his shirt off?

"Spencer, you're absolutely frozen. Take your shirt off so I can dry it. I don't want you to get sick," Alex laughed, shaking her head at him before she held her hand out towards him.

"What about dinner Alex?" he asked, the brunette shrugging, unaware that the robe was slipping more open to reveal her bra. "Your…" he began.

"We could order room service Spence," the brunette suggested, stopping the profiler's statement. "Maybe even a bottle of wine," she added, stepping towards him before her fingers began to loosen his drenched tie. "Or two."

"Two?" he asked, unable to stop himself from smiling when Alex undid his tie and dropped it onto the floor. "What's gotten into you this evening Doctor Blake?" he asked quietly. He couldn't hide how attractive the possibility of spending the evening in her hotel was. If he was honest, the prospect of going to a restaurant in drenched clothes didn't appeal to him and he currently had a stunning brunette in front of him, in a revealing bathrobe, suggesting that they spent the evening inside.

"Well, it is the first time that I've had you to myself," she whispered, kissing him again while his fingers laced into the bathrobe and clenched it tightly. He had to be dreaming. Things like this didn't happen to him. Beautiful women didn't find him attractive. People didn't find him attractive. He was the smart one that people had bullied since school. "You okay?" she asked quietly.

"More than okay Alex," he admitted, gently kissing her again before he stepped away and moved to start unbuttoning his shirt.

"Let me," Alex whispered, her fingers brushing against his as he moved his away, allowing her to begin to unbutton his shirt. "I thought perhaps I was making you nervous," Alex whispered, looking down at her fingers while she unbuttoned his shirt, his head shaking while he glanced down at her, looking away when he noticed that he was staring right down her robe.

"I'm not nervous Alex, just surprised," Spencer whispered, pressing a light kiss into her hair before she undid the final button and pushed the shirt away from his chest, the material dropping to the floor. "Although it doesn't help that your robe keeps opening and I can see your bra," the profiler admitted quietly, the brunette staring up at him before she glanced down at her robe and immediately tightened it, her arms wrapping around her chest when she stepped away from him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" Alex began before shaking her head. "Sorry Spence."

"Alex," Spencer stated, moving towards her as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the profiler shaking his head as she stepped towards her and rested his hand against her cheek, gently pushing her face up to look at him. "Spence," Alex said quietly, falling silent when he leant down and kissed her again, a gasp leaving her lips when his hand moved from her face to the front of her robe, his fingers slowly opening it as he deepened the kiss. "Spencer," she said quietly against his lips, not moving away from him as his fingers rested between them, brushing against her lace covered skin. She hadn't imagined this when she opened the door. She hadn't imagined being pressed up against him, his fingers beneath her robe against her skin while her own hands brushed against his bare chest. Spencer Reid's bare chest!

"Don't apologise," he whispered to her, staring down at her as she watched him in amazement. "Alex, you're incredible," the profiler admitted quietly, a nervous laugh leaving her lips before she leant up and kissed him again. He hadn't imagined his evening like this when they had discussed it the previous evening but now, now he felt like he was the luckiest man in the world.

"I have an alternative way we could spend our evening Spence," Alex said quietly, moving away from him as his eyebrows rose. "We could order some room service later but perhaps…" she began, biting her lip briefly before she glanced down at her robe, her fingers finding the tie while Spencer remained silent, the surprise obvious on his face when she began to untie her robe. "You might want to…" she continued, falling silent when Spencer stepped towards and passionately kissed her, his hands moving to push the open robe away from her body while her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Yes," he whispered against her lips, a laugh leaving hers when he moved to kiss her neck while his arms wrapped around her to pull her close to him. "Yes," Spencer said quietly, kissing her neck again before pressing kisses to her cheek and finally her lips. "You're just…wow," he whispered, taking in the sight of the brunette in front of him, dressed only in black lace underwear that contrasted with her pale skin.

"Spencer," Alex said quietly, moving away from him to sit on the edge of her bed. "You can either stand their complimenting me or you could come here and we could make out," she suggested, a smirk decorating her face. "I know which option I'd prefer," she added, laughing when the profiler immediately walked towards her.

CRIMINAL MINDS- CRIMINAL MINDS

Opening his eyes slowly, Spencer smiled as he looked to his side and took in the sight of the brunette curled into his side asleep. Her dark hair was spread across the pillow while the blanket draped across her skin. He felt like the luckiest man on earth to be in bed with her. Running his fingers along her back, Spencer turned onto his side before gently pressing a kiss to her forehead, smiling to himself when Alex's eyes began to open.

"Hi," Alex whispered, her fingers reaching up to brush against his cheeks before she kissed him gently.

"Hello," Spencer smiled against her lips, a small laugh leaving both of them before he shook his head. "I didn't get enough time to compliment you earlier but you're beautiful Alex," he whispered, glancing down at the underwear that decorated her skin while she began to blush. "And I am the luckiest man in the world," he added, her head shaking before she sat up and glanced down at him.

"It wasn't too soon, was it?" she asked quietly, suddenly nervous. "I don't want to rush you," she admitted, her head shaking before she ran her fingers through her hair. "I know we just made out but Spence, if it was too soon…"

"Alex, I've known you for years, I've been attracted to you for years," Spencer declared, moving to sit behind her before pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Alex I want to be with you," he whispered against her bare skin, her eyes shutting as she breathed out slowly, aware that his hand was moving to rest against her stomach. "I've never wanted someone like I want you," he admitted, his hand moving to cup her breast as a gasp left her lips. "And Alex, if you want to make out with me, then I'm more than happy to make out because you are incredible, and you're beautiful, and you're sexy, and I am falling for you Alex Blake."

"Spencer," Alex whispered in amazement, turning her body so she could look at him.

"Alex I'm falling for you," he repeated, a large smile covering her face as she turned completely, her body moving to straddle his as his hand moved to rest on the small of her back. "Alex," he whispered, falling silent when she leant forward and kissed him again, a moan escaping from his lips. How did he become this lucky? When he had been imprisoned with no chance of freedom, with his life constantly in danger, he hadn't even dreamt of this. How could he have dreamt of this? This was perfection.

"I'm falling for you too Spence," she whispered against his lips, his smile continuing to grow when she leant down to kiss him again. "I was going to wear red and black tonight, like the first time we met," Alex said quietly, his fingers brushing against her cheeks as he watched her. "Are you going to stay Spencer?" Alex asked, moving to lie beside the profiler as he smiled and relaxed back into the pillow.

"Do you want me to stay?" Spencer whispered, turning onto his side to face her.

"Yes, I want you to stay Spence," Alex smiled, reaching across to pull the blanket over their bodies again before she relaxed opposite him again. "We've never been completely alone before," she said quietly, the profiler nodding in agreement before leant forward and kissed him gently. There was no risk of his mom interrupting or the bureau calling. They were completely alone for once. "I quite like having you to myself."

"Almost as much as I do," he responded, kissing her again before she laughed gently against his lips. "Although I did agree to go to Henry's soccer match tomorrow," Spencer said quietly. "I thought you might like to go with me as my girlfriend."

"I'd like that," Alex whispered. "Can I tell you something though?"

"Sure," Spencer responded, taking in the sudden nervous look that decorated her face. "Alex?"

"Dave knows about us Spence," Alex said quietly. "He heard me on the phone last night when we were talking about our date," she whispered, Spencer nodding slowly as he took in her statement. "I'm sorry, I just didn't hear him when he came in the room."

"Don't apologise, we would have told him soon anyway," Spencer smiled, pressing a kiss gently to her forehead as she smiled weakly. "You're not a secret Alex, I want our relationship to be something that we're not hiding from everyone that we love for no reason," the profiler stated before Alex nodded, unable to stop herself from smiling. "And Dave will do us a favour anyway by telling everyone," he added before they both began to laugh, his arm wrapping around her before he pressed another kiss to her forehead.

He could be happy spending the rest of his life like this.

 **So what do you think? I'm not sure but I hope you enjoy it.**


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